A/N: I just can't stop it seems. Please send help before I fry my brain coming up with these stories! But here's a short one for you all, enjoy!
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It had been many, many long decades since humanity had last been drawn into a war they would surely win. It had been hard fought though, their many victories snatched from the jaws of defeat on countless occasions, not just thanks to their own tenacity and expertise in warfare, but also thanks to their more supernatural allies, many of which were former humans. Werewolves, vampires, eldritch deities, ghosts bound to VHS tapes and of course the [REDACTED]. All had risen to fight the Empire, to defy the Ur’ad, and to secure humanity's future once again.
But this is not a tale of war, no no. This is a tale of some idiot criminals who decide it’s a good idea to mess with humanity yet again. A group of fools who have found an exceedingly human dwelling nestled deep within a lush, vibrant forest just as the suns began their descent. It was a quaint little house, only two stories tall but large enough for an average human family. There was a well maintained garden that wrapped around the front and side of the house, a small pond on the opposite side filled with aquatic lifeforms of less than sapient nature.
It was an idyllic place for a home, one that knew peace and joy. What was about to happen would be a very small bump on an otherwise smooth road. The criminals, low level gangsters with barely a braincell between them, were part of an equally idiotic gang that somehow, for all its poor choices, had managed to survive long enough to garner a reputation as being so incompetent they managed to be competent, as paradoxical as that may be. Having gotten lost in the forest while out on patrol, they had stumbled upon the home and decided that it was the perfect target for a good old time of breaking and entering. Maybe they could find something of value, after all anyone living this far from the city must surely be protecting something.
So, the five gangers sat on their haunches, their snouts sniffing the air and detecting something that didn’t seem quite right, but they had neither the foresight to figure it out, nor the willingness to do so in the first place.
Finally they decided it was time to put their vague outline of a plan in motion, it was dusk and that meant the humans would be growing more and more tired with every passing moment, thus it’d be the perfect time to strike as the denizens within could not even hope to resist as well as they normally would be able to. So the group began to creep forwards, falling onto all fours for better sneaking.
They were Un’el, scavengers. They most resembled hyenas with scales. They were not the most intelligent or innovative species, but they made good use of what intelligence they did have as early in their history their homeworld was used as a junkyard for anything the rest of the galaxy didn’t want or need anymore. At the time, nobody even knew they existed, so it was quite the surprise when all of a sudden there were ships filled with unknown aliens taking off from the planet.
So here they were, creeping up on a perfect little home in a perfect but large forest. When they reached the door they did what criminals are known to do. They broke in. However, instead of picking the lock or simply attempting to open the door in the event it was unlocked, they kicked the door in, plasma weapons raised and snarls in their throats.
They expected the screaming of women and children, of the fierce bellowing of a male. Instead, they were greeted by a short, slightly plump human woman in a quaint little sundress and with a shawl around her shoulders. She briefly looked surprised by the sudden entry appearance of aliens forcing their way into her home, but it was quickly replaced with a soft smile and holding up a tray of what appeared to be cookies in her oven mitt clad hands.
“Well, it’s about time. I was beginning to think you boys weren’t going to come say hello. Cookie?” She said, her tone jovial and unperturbed. The gangers stood there, utterly confused by this response to their sudden entrance. “Shame about the door, but I suppose it’ll give Victor something to do, he’s been getting bored lately and that-”
“Give us all your valuables!” One of the gangers barked, and the human woman blinked, the tray lowering slightly.
“Why?” She said, and the gangers paused. Surely she knew why, they had the guns and the numbers, and whoever this Victor was wouldn’t stand a chance against them either, so it was clear that they should just do whatever the gangers said.
“Because… because we have guns! We kill you if you don’t give us what we want!” Another said, and the human woman blinked, then her eyes widened slightly.
“Ahhh… I was hoping those were just toys.” She murmured, before clearing her throat. “But to answer your demand for our valuables, no.”
“No!? We kill! Give us valuables or you die! We burn house down!” They barked some more and the woman simply sighed, shaking her head as she set the tray aside.
“And I said no. We’re not going to-” She didn’t get to finish, as her body was soon riddled with plasma bolts. The scent of burnt flesh filled the room and she dropped like a bag of bricks, a somewhat pained and surprised look on her face. The gangers yipped with delight and began scooping up anything of value when they heard a new voice, one that was decidedly male.
“Oooh cookies! Bridget you shouldn’t hav-” The man paused in the entryway, having appeared from a set of stairs near the front door. The gangers all froze, staring at him as he finished slipping into a shirt and nodded. “Well, I suppose this is a robbery isn’t it? And I can see you’ve already met my wife.” He said, the gangers all raising their weapons to aim at him.
He looked strange, deathly pale and somehow both old and young at the same time. It was the eyes it seemed, they held an ancientness to them that was impossible for any normal human to possess, yet his exterior was vibrant and youthful, if a bit pale.
“Kill you! Like kill wife!” The ganger who’d first fired upon Bridget yipped and the man, Victor, nodded with a shrug.
“Sure I suppose. Just one question before I’m so ruthlessly murdered in cold blood.” He said, and the Un’el glanced at one another before the leader of the group waved his gun in assent. “You didn’t use silver to kill her did you? Those look like plasma weapons to me.”
This confused the gangers, who all frowned and then the leader spoke up again.
“Why use silver? Plasma best kill-kill!”
“Well you see, silver is the only thing that can kill her. Otherwise all you’re doing is slowing her down and well… She gets mighty angry sometimes, as you’re about to discover.” Victor smiled, clasping his hands behind his back and flashing a set of immaculate teeth, two of which were far longer than they should have been. From behind the Un’el came a soft rumbling which promptly turned into a deep and menacing growl. As one they slowly turned and were forced to tilt their heads back as the once small and plump form of a human woman rose into and became a hulking, athletic mass of muscle and fur, her fingers capped with wicked claws and her mouth elongating into a maw filled with long, sharp teeth. “I’m afraid to say, but you’ve picked the wrong house lads.”
The leader of the group turned back, only to find Victor had crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, and that his mouth was open and descending for his neck. The tranquil stillness of the forest around the home was rudely shattered by the sound of gunfire and the roar of a werewolf, before it went quiet once more. The animals, which had been quiet in the face of imminent danger, resumed their chirping and squeaking, and all was well.
Not eight hours later, a human walked up the path to the house, the uniform and badge he wore declaring him as law enforcement. As he stepped up to the front door he noted it had been recently repaired, not that well but well enough to be functional at least. So carefully he knocked on it and the response was prompt, the door swinging open on squeaky hinges and presenting him with the ever youthful visage of Victor.
“Evening Victor.” He said, tipping his hat to the vampire, who smiled broadly and nodded back.
“Why good evening to you too, Officer Thomson. What seems to be the problem?” Victor asked, leaning against the doorframe a bit.
“No problem, just the same old same old. Say, we seem to have lost track of a group of ne’er do wells wandering around this area. You wouldn’t have happened to seen or heard anything would you?” Thomson asked, and Victor turned slightly, looking over his shoulder at his wife who was currently knelt on the floor, a brush in one hand and a toothpick in the other. When she saw the police officer she smiled and waved, all while scrubbing at the very large streaks of purple blood on the floor.
“Can’t say I have officer, though should we, you’ll be the first to know.” Victor said, smiling warmly and Thomson nodded, tipping his hat to Bridget as well before taking a step back.
“Thank you kindly, your cooperation is highly appreciated folks.” Thomson said, not at all disturbed by the grisly scene inside the house. He started back down the path, giving them a wave as he did. “Stay safe, ya hear?”
“Will do officer! Have a lovely evening!” Bridget called out, and the door closed as Victor went to help his wife clean up.
And so, once again there was peace and tranquility in the world. And the house in the forest would remain undisturbed for many years to come.

I am in a mood for a particular type of drama. I want dramas where there is no miscommunication between the couple and they are mature (I prefer mature fmc and mmc, not the stereotypical cold mmc and super cheery fmc). I would prefer if there was no second-act break-up. So like once they get together, they are together and we get to see them being domestic and cute. Some examples of my favourite shows with this kind of storyline are (in order of my favourites, number 1 is most and the last one is the least):

1. You are my glory
2. Meet yourself
3. Road home
4. you are my hero
5. love o2o
6. don't disturb my study(the last episode reunion scene mainly)

these are the ones I can remember at the top of my head. I just love domesticity and seeing cute relationships. I am ok if there is not much plot and it is boring if it is filled with such scenes. Please recommend me some.

I've been waiting for this to come up in my memories so I could get the wording right... Back in 2020 when we were finally allowed to get out and go to the stores again, I was on my way down a back country road headed to the store. As I was driving, I must have gotten distracted and got a little too close to the redneck truck in front of me because as he turned into his driveway, he and his passengers flipped me off and yelled curse words out the window at me. So while I was at the store, I picked out the prettiest blank card I could find and wrote the following message inside... "I would like to apologize if I got too close to your truck earlier today. You see, I've had a really crappy day and my mind honestly wasn't completely focused on my driving. While I feel your (over)reaction of flipping me off and cussing me out was a bit much, I can see how you may have felt threatened by my minivan. Also for the record, I just bought it, and I'll admit it does get away from me sometimes. It's just such a smooth ride- I'm sure you can appreciate that! So anyway, I sincerely hope you can accept my apology. And I'm sure you feel better anyway, because flipping off and cursing a mom in her minivan with her two young, impressionable boys in the back was the best way to make everything better. Sincerely, The mom in the minivan that was on her way to the testing site.
P.S. I coughed all over this card."
I threw the card out the window into their driveway when I drove home. I wasn't on my way to testing, and I didn't cough on the card, but it sure made me feel better.
(And I know they got the card because one of them was in the driveway when I threw it)

I am 23 years old right now and I’m looking at moving out of the parents home in 2-3 years hopefully. I currently have £13 500 saved for a deposit in a LISA and I put in £4000 a year + £1000 on top from the government so in 2 years I will have £23 500 or £28 500 in 3 years time.
I’m single and I don’t plan on getting into a relationship as I do enjoy being alone. I have a brother who has a house with his girlfriend and he says he never has any money but their combined salary is around £50-£60k. He always says houses are expensive and always says I’ll never be able to do it alone.
I’m just seeing if anyone has managed to do it on their own and how you get on with it. Preferably I want a house as I carry lots of tools in my car so want to park it on a secure drive but I have also thought about a possible gated flat or flats with designated parking but not on the road.
But is a flat worth it. Flats these days are usually the same price as houses so is there even a benefit? Bills may be cheaper but I imagine house inflation is lower on flats.
For reference I live in South Yorkshire and looking at Barnsley to buy a house/ flat. I get paid £25 500 pre tax income. But when I turn 25, I should be on something more like £27 500
Thanks.

Hi, I was trying to use the LoRaWAN network with arduino and a sx1276 lora module but there is an error I can't sort out. The compilation and flashing went alright, but the serial monitor and the result is not showing optimal results.
​
The serial monitor output:
Starting
FAILURE
/home/jandzi/Arduino/libraries/IBM_LMIC_framework/src/lmic/radio.c:689
​
The line the output points to in the 689th line of the library file:
#ifdef CFG_sx1276_radio
ASSERT(v == 0x12 );
​
My setup:
-arduino, sx1276, 868mhz lora module
Connections: d13 - sck, 3.3v - VDD, d12 - miso, d11 - mosi, d10 - nss, d9 - rst, d5 - di02, d4 - di01, d3 - di00, gnd -gnd
​
I will greatly appreciate any suggestions. Thank you for your time. :)
​
The code:
#include #include #include
// This EUI must be in little-endian format, so least-significant-byte // first. When copying an EUI from ttnctl output, this means to reverse // the bytes. For TTN issued EUIs the last bytes should be 0xD5, 0xB3, // 0x70. static const u1_t PROGMEM APPEUI[8]={ 0x60, 0x81, 0xF9, 0x81, 0xE8, 0xDE, 0x9C, 0xBB }; void os_getArtEui (u1_t* buf) { memcpy_P(buf, APPEUI, 8);}
// This should also be in little endian format, see above. static const u1_t PROGMEM DEVEUI[8]={ 0x60, 0x81, 0xF9, 0x5C, 0x33, 0xC6, 0x8D, 0x0C }; void os_getDevEui (u1_t* buf) { memcpy_P(buf, DEVEUI, 8);}
// This key should be in big endian format (or, since it is not really a // number but a block of memory, endianness does not really apply). In // practice, a key taken from ttnctl can be copied as-is. // The key shown here is the semtech default key. static const u1_t PROGMEM APPKEY[16] = { 0x2A, 0xE8, 0x5C, 0x60, 0x75, 0x69, 0xB5, 0x61, 0x47, 0xB7, 0x97, 0xF7, 0xDA, 0xB9, 0xEB, 0xE1 }; void os_getDevKey (u1_t* buf) { memcpy_P(buf, APPKEY, 16);}
static uint8_t mydata[] = "Hello, world!"; static osjob_t sendjob;
// Schedule TX every this many seconds (might become longer due to duty // cycle limitations). const unsigned TX_INTERVAL = 60;
// Pin mapping const lmic_pinmap lmic_pins = { .nss = 10, .rxtx = LMIC_UNUSED_PIN, .rst = 9, .dio = {2, 3, 4}, };
void onEvent (ev_t ev) { Serial.print(os_getTime()); Serial.print(": "); switch(ev) { case EV_SCAN_TIMEOUT: Serial.println(F("EV_SCAN_TIMEOUT")); break; case EV_BEACON_FOUND: Serial.println(F("EV_BEACON_FOUND")); break; case EV_BEACON_MISSED: Serial.println(F("EV_BEACON_MISSED")); break; case EV_BEACON_TRACKED: Serial.println(F("EV_BEACON_TRACKED")); break; case EV_JOINING: Serial.println(F("EV_JOINING")); break; case EV_JOINED: Serial.println(F("EV_JOINED"));
// Disable link check validation (automatically enabled // during join, but not supported by TTN at this time). LMIC_setLinkCheckMode(0); break; case EV_RFU1: Serial.println(F("EV_RFU1")); break; case EV_JOIN_FAILED: Serial.println(F("EV_JOIN_FAILED")); break; case EV_REJOIN_FAILED: Serial.println(F("EV_REJOIN_FAILED")); break; break; case EV_TXCOMPLETE: Serial.println(F("EV_TXCOMPLETE (includes waiting for RX windows)")); if (LMIC.txrxFlags & TXRX_ACK) Serial.println(F("Received ack")); if (LMIC.dataLen) { Serial.println(F("Received ")); Serial.println(LMIC.dataLen); Serial.println(F(" bytes of payload")); } // Schedule next transmission os_setTimedCallback(&sendjob, os_getTime()+sec2osticks(TX_INTERVAL), do_send); break; case EV_LOST_TSYNC: Serial.println(F("EV_LOST_TSYNC")); break; case EV_RESET: Serial.println(F("EV_RESET")); break; case EV_RXCOMPLETE: // data received in ping slot Serial.println(F("EV_RXCOMPLETE")); break; case EV_LINK_DEAD: Serial.println(F("EV_LINK_DEAD")); break; case EV_LINK_ALIVE: Serial.println(F("EV_LINK_ALIVE")); break; default: Serial.println(F("Unknown event")); break; } }
void do_send(osjob_t* j){ // Check if there is not a current TX/RX job running if (LMIC.opmode & OP_TXRXPEND) { Serial.println(F("OP_TXRXPEND, not sending")); } else { // Prepare upstream data transmission at the next possible time. LMIC_setTxData2(1, mydata, sizeof(mydata)-1, 0); Serial.println(F("Packet queued")); } // Next TX is scheduled after TX_COMPLETE event. }
void setup() { Serial.begin(57600); Serial.println(F("Starting"));
#ifdef VCC_ENABLE // For Pinoccio Scout boards pinMode(VCC_ENABLE, OUTPUT); digitalWrite(VCC_ENABLE, HIGH); delay(1000); #endif
// LMIC init os_init(); // Reset the MAC state. Session and pending data transfers will be discarded. LMIC_reset();
// Start job (sending automatically starts OTAA too) do_send(&sendjob); }
void loop() { os_runloop_once(); }

Cover Art <<Previous Start Next >>
Once her friends caught up with her, Kazue spent the rest of the afternoon with them in the library, taking some time to pull Gako and Tia aside to thank them for their thoughtfulness in trying to include her in their forming group, then gave each of them a ‘thank you’ kiss, which was the sort of kiss she’d been making sure Mordecai and Moriko were OK with as a one-time event.
After that, she escorted them through the fifth floor where the cavern had been opened up and laganthros were designing and laying out ideas for mushroom-based buildings. Most of the group loved the idea, though one of them had to admit she was a little put off by mushrooms and other fungi. Still, they all had their own ideas for quests and challenges, and Kazue was happy to note them all down.
By the time they got to the central room, the other group was long since occupied, so the party that followed involved seven young kitsune women entertaining themselves by harmlessly flirting with one ancient dungeon core. Wise and experienced he might be, but Mordecai was at a disadvantage here and gracefully conceded to any defeats in the verbal sparring. The flirting only went so far of course, and Kazue was the only one allowed to seat herself in his lap, but all were entertained until it was time to get the now thoroughly inebriated shrine maidens off to their room for the night.
The two cores then spent the rest of the night and well into the next morning finishing up their plans for the fifth floor. When their guests had all recovered and had a chance to eat, they were presented with their prizes, starting with all of them being presented with the now standard reward of the enchanted honey potions.
The shrine maidens had already collected some herbs, a few pretty but low-value gems, and various scrolls as well as a starter spellbook that had been thoroughly claimed. For the group as a whole Kazue presented shrine maiden outfits embroidered with themes of dragons, foxes, and rabbits, and enchanted with some simple comfort and mild environmental protection enchantments. These would be gifted to all Azeria clan shrine maidens who made it through the dungeon, though that was going to be a more difficult task over time. They were also granted some individual items: an internally expanded bag, a hat that can alter one’s appearance through illusions, a cloak that would help one blend into shadows if they were trying to hide, boots to make one more agile and give an occasional burst of speed, and a scarf enchanted to enhance dance performances with minor illusions. The one who had her shiny spellbook already had a special gift of her own.
For the warrior party Mordecai started with the shield maidens, gifting them with reinforced shields backed by runes to increase their sturdiness. Their old shields had been rather badly damaged in the earlier fights, and they had already picked up some cold iron and silvered swords on the third floor. The spear maiden was presented with a longspear made of rowan and tipped with a mithral head. The rune it bore would allow it to pierce even creatures not entirely on this plane, This mostly meant undead of various sorts, but there were other sorts of phantasmal creatures that had limited physical presence.
The huntress accepted the gift of a long-barreled gun after trying it out. Mordecai had modified the design of the pistol for a longer, longer gun based on descriptions and a little bit of experimentation, though he wasn’t sure if this was similar to the ‘muskets’ others had discussed. It couldn’t fire as fast as her bow and it had some other trade-offs that would make it a situational weapon for her, but new options were always good.
The mage was happy with her collection of scrolls and was intending to copy them to her spellbook when she had a chance, so the final presentation was a staff for the priest. While not quite as enthusiastic a number as what Kazue’s mother had gotten, it gave him an additional selection of healing and curative spells at his command each day.
Once everyone had said their goodbyes and departed, the two of them turned their attention back toward Moriko, who was getting ready for her royal dinner.
.
Moriko was feeling much better than she had the other day when she first went to visit mistress Ula. The visit with the princesses had helped allay her fears about the court, though they had let her know that court could be that bad, which was part of the point of having her come to a private dinner first, to establish that Moriko did have allies. No matter how noble the ancestry or enlightened a nobility, there was always someone who craved more power and felt threatened by newcomers.
Those who had risen to a basic lordship by being Marked were more insulated both by the nature of the favor they bore and by the fact that they tended to not be very political. Moriko was a more complicated situation, and thus inherently political if for no other reason that someone would insist on seeing her that way.
But that wasn’t anything she was going to have to deal with tonight. So for the moment she focused on getting ready, which included posing and moving under Ula’s directions once more as the woman made sure the dress fit properly.
Moriko had thought that the dress was what was going to make her most self-conscious this evening. She hadn’t accounted for the foundational garments that the princesses had insisted upon. It wasn’t like they were going to check or anything, but Moriko was convinced they would somehow know if she didn’t follow instructions in this matter. A fancy dress required that every layer be just as special.
And it wasn’t like Moriko wore dowdy undergarments or anything, but these felt like being naked would actually be more modest. And knowing how to pick such items out was not a skill she had expected of proper princesses. Though a couple of them were married…
Well, she’d at least be able to put them to good use when she got home. The thought made her smirk, partly because of the realization that the default of ‘home’ really had shifted in her head. It was nice, and that was a thought she shared with her husband and wife as she felt their presences focus on her. They were always in the back of her mind somewhere, but it was nice feeling them pay more attention to her. “Guests are gone I take it?”
The affirmation came with some images showing Moriko all the prizes that had been won, and she couldn’t help but smile more at Kazue’s excitement. Ula eyed her then snorted. “If I didn’t already know you were a newlywed, that smile would give it away. I can’t decide if the ability to hear a man’s thoughts would be more of a blessing or a curse, but you sure seem happy about it.”
Moriko found herself blushing, which caught her off guard. How did these women make her feel so damn young? It was like she was a teenager again. Mordecai whispered into her mind “That’s called being in love dear.”
To be fair, she hadn’t been actually in love before, however much she loved many of the people in her life. Still, she felt that his reply deserved a toothless mental growl, then she turned her attention back to getting ready. There wasn’t much to do at this point really, but it was hard not to fuss. At least some of her accessories could double as fidgets. Carrying a handbag was weird though.
Finally, the carriage arrived to take her off to the castle, and she got to sit back and take in the view of the city center. The center of the city was built upon a large, gradual hill, topped by the royal castle. Surrounding that were various other estates, some of them belonging to the royal family, some to other nobility.
It was here that the mix of various styles of architecture was thrown into starkest contrast. With what she now knew, it was clear that there was technically a ‘native’ style and an ‘introduced’ style. The history from before Kuiccihan had been founded had always been a little vague, but that two or more cultures had been thrown together was clear, no doubt the result of the heroes and armies that had responded to the emergency resulting from Mordecai’s actions. And the center of the city had been built when things were less harmonious, recovering from a thousand years of nothing bigger than a city-state being stable.
It was a somewhat depressing image, but also hopeful. They’d managed to come together eventually after all. She dwelled on those thoughts until the carriage finally reached the entrance she’d be using before being brought to the main hall. The Seneschal and a couple of maids still had to decorate her properly with the royal jewelry that had been selected for her.
This brought up a piece of advice that had come from Mordecai, not the princesses, and Moriko could see why they didn’t mention it. She should make sure to verbally appreciate all of the jewelry, but praise the piece that she liked the most a little more. As a first-time diplomatic guest in good favor, there was a strong chance that the king and queen would choose to gift her with one piece of what she was currently being bedecked with. Of course, choosing a single item was going to be difficult, they were all dazzling, and she was somewhat reluctant to accept any gift of that sort, they all had to be expensive and have some history associated with them. She didn’t need any guidance to tell her that while initial resistance was expected, she wasn’t actually supposed to refuse.
When the seneschal was satisfied, she was escorted to the entrance of the main hall, where she was to wait a moment to be properly introduced.
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So y'all already know how your emotional state and anxiety and POTS all kick to take turns kicking off and interacting with one another.
This is just a PSA/shout-out to all you people who have a hard time driving.
I used to get really bad POTS flares/presyncope-/anxiety?attacks while driving. Like, cold sweat, can't breathe, shaking, disassociating and 'coming to' further down the road than I remembered. I never lost consciousness but it was so uncomfortable and I felt so unsafe I stopped driving and became a home body. But no more.
I've been in therapy for my OCD and dealing with this stuff. I've been working on going for walks/runs and dealing with heart rate fluctuations fall away from my house. I've gotten a lot better at it.
My therapist believes my POTS symptoms are real- however, a lot of my OCD is somatic- I obsess over body sensations. I often obsess over breathing, swallowing, and bodily sensations, worrying about vomiting, dying, passing out, seizures, ect. She believes obsession over POTS symptoms leads to a panic attacks.
Today I'm going to try to drive my car 10min by myself. I am perfectly fine whenever I drive with a loved one- furthering the belief that my anxiety and potentially physical symptoms kicks everything off.
So today I'm doing it. I'll talk to my dad on bluetooth while I drive, and if I start to feel badly I'll pull voer and have him come meet me, but I am a slave to this no longer!
Today's the day.

So today I went to Lidl, one of the biggest budget grocery stores in Europe. We needed some emergency compost for our garden and we live literally 5 minutes away by foot. So we figured we'd go borrow the trolley/cart for 10 minutes to carry the heavy bags home.
As we approach the invisible wall of the parking lot, the trolley locks and refuses to be pushed in any direction. Of course this happens right in the middle of the busiest part where the parking lot meets the road and there are no sidewalks or pedestrian crossings anywhere nearby. Mind you, this store in the middle of a large residential neighbourhood, so it's not like a stroad out of town or anything like that. There were cars waiting in line for us (but luckily no one started honking just yet), so we had to carry the 100kg (220lbs) trolley through the entire parking lot.
There was no sign other than "don's steal" above the trolleys. I have never heard of this locking mechanism and we'd done the same thing a few months back at the same store without problems.
Luckily there were some kind strangers that helped drive our shit home, but having to beg strangers to transport your literal dirt because you don't have a car is easily one of the most embarrassing events in my life.

I (30F) am really worried he (34M) might have some kind of hormonal issue or degenerative illness. I'm probably over reacting and it's probably because he's more of an indoor person (gamer, tv watcher) that this happened. But we just went for a walk as it was a nice day - 19°C or 66°F if you are American reading this. 15 minutes to the park and 15 minutes back, then we sat in the sun partly in the shade on the grass for maybe an hour and went home. On the 15 minute (flat road) walk to get there he was chugging water and asking how far it was. Then when we were at the park. He kept splashing himself with water, and grimacing like he was in pain. I was just sitting back enjoying the sun looking at the breeze through the leaves etc, listening to the bird song but whenever I would open my eyes, I'd see him grimacing or laying his head in his hands. I wondered if the sun was possibly aggravating his psoriasis and asked this and he was like "No, no I'm fine". I asked if he was having any hay fever symptoms like itching etc because I get them and had an antihistamine on me but he said no and begrudgingly said "We can stay until you had enough" but in the end we just left cos I couldn't bare how he looked so in suffering. When we got home he rushed to the bedroom for a nap. I'm genuinely worried something is wrong with him. He's in the prime of his life but he can't walk 15 mins or be in sunlight? Idk. Sorry if I sound crazy.

6 spots open of 8
"Whoa 100$? That's insane!?" This is not your typical paid per session campaign, instead we are offering a full level 3-20 experience for an upfront deposit, that may be returned under the right circumstances.
"What do you mean by "deposit"?: 100$ is a lot of money to invest into a game up front, we understand this. We are not out to make a profit on this game, the deposit will be returned on the conclusion of the campaign. There will also be other circumstances where the money may be returned. Had a major life change and just can't make time anymore, such as a baby, divorce or big move? No problem, let's talk about that. Started strong but you just aren't clicking with the party? Okay, let's talk about that, maybe put it to a vote in the party. We don't want anyone to feel trapped in a game they aren't enjoying, but we only want to attract the players who will be fully committed to play the game all the way through, be prepared every session, and are just generally a good person to play with. If you are being a jerk and get kicked, deposit forfeited. If you are missing session, constantly distracted, or frequently coming unprepared, you're getting kicked and forfeit your deposit. We don't want to kick players, and will try to fix a problem or come to a solution first, we will listen to our players' concerns as well. Any forfeited money will be used towards the campaign.
"Okay that's fair, and I'm eager to play! When do you want my money?" Your money isn't held hostage, it's a sign of commitment. We won't expect a payment until after session 0, This will give everyone a fair chance to see what they're getting into, meet the people they'll be playing with, and decide this isn't for them. We will also be much more lenient to return money in the first month after seeing how the people you're playing with act.
Disclaimer: If you are racist, bigoted, or just generally a jerk, this isn't the game for you. We didn't make this to fulfill your sick fantasies, and if you're making our players uncomfortable it will be fixed immediately, or you will be kicked. Do not make us pause our game in the middle of the session to correct your behavior. If you made it to here tell us you're a major dice goblin in the other section of the google form. That being said, we are all adults and expect everyone to act like it. There will be cussing, adult content (drinking, smoking, violence), NSFW scenes will be fade to black though, we don't want to RP sexual acts with y'all, keep that in mind for flirting as well, to a lesser extent.
Alright, with that out of the way, lets dive in!
Logistics-
Games are every other week, Beginning in July
You do not need a ready-made character before Session 0, just a concept!
We will stream on twitch. Your backstory can be whatever you want with a couple of stipulations. You are an "other-worlder", you came to this planet through a portal for whatever reason you can come up with, maybe you're on the run, maybe you were sent here as a scout, maybe you were just curious, but your backstory should always end with you entering the portal from your home planet to be transported to Oob. Keep in mind, whatever you left in your old world, can also find its way to Oob... Your ideals should also be that of which you want to go on an adventure, and preferably line up chaotically for the Chromatic kingdom, or lawful for the Metallic kingdom.
The game will be ran with 2 Dungeon masters. That is to say, 2 separate campaigns in the same world run at the same time. We are looking for 8 players, 2 groups of 4. There will be sessions that involve all of us together, but most of the time it will be the typical makeup of 4 players and your DM. You will choose whether to play through either the Metallic campaign or the Chromatic campaign.
Choices you make matter! Not only could they change your campaign, they can change the other players campaign, and the world. There can and will be consequences and rewards, we are aiming for a living world that evolves all the time. If you made it here, Tell us you're not only a major dice goblin, but a major dice goblin who bakes brownies too.
About us:
u/gogone3 : Hi! I have 8 years of experience with DnD, I've been DMing for 6, and I love the game. I'm 28 years old and am in the military. I've never had the pleasure of playing a full campaign all the way through and that's my goal here. I'm pretty laid back and lenient, my players come first, whatever you want to try, whatever homebrew you have, let me know so I can help you do that thing! I will be running the Chromatic campaign.
u/AirForce_Demon_420 : With about 2 years of experience DM-ing and 3 years total Dnd experience, I offer a serious game and am open to all types of ideas that make sense within the world. I will not tolerate arguing after I have decided on a ruling, and things may change after the "heat of the moment" ruling. I also will treat everyone as an adult and don’t sugar coat things. All that being said, the games I run have been received very well, I offer voices, streaming, custom homebrew, and a strong balance between roleplay, exploration, and combat. I to tend a little more towards RP though. I am open to ideas that you may have and will do my best to reach a balance everyone can enjoy. I hope to see you at the table!
We offer a serious game for anyone interested, players will have access to all the DnDbeyond content. We ask you base your toon concept off of official books, and no UA doesn't count. We will be playing on foundry VTT and using discord for voice, If you want to use a camera even better but not a requirement. Please keep in mind this material may be streamed so have an Avatar portrait available and understand that your voice will show up on any of the streams.
About the Setting -
The planet of Oob, a world ruled by the 3 kingdoms of dragons, Metallic, Chromatic, and Gems. The 3 kingdoms are at constant strife with each other, each believing their way of living is right. The Metallics believe that the world should be united under them, their citizens pledging allegiance to the great Bahamut. The Chromatics on the other hand believe that everyone should live freely, pledging fealty to the dragons and offering tribute to live in their land. The Gems believe everyone should live freely, but they take a more neutral approach. They focus more on bringing peace to the 3 kingdoms and allow their citizens to live in their territories unhindered by the dragons. This has led to the land outside of the Gem cities to be very dangerous as the other-worlders live without oversight. The dragons differencing beliefs have led the world to be at a constant war. To make matters more tense, the world is scattered with portals acting as doors from other worlds, a much larger portal in the center of the world is said to connect all the worlds. Through these portals, otherworldly denizens constantly stream through, making up the population of the planet, you are one of these individuals. Whatever your reason for coming to Oob, you quickly find that there's no turning back, the portal you came through is only 1 way. You start to panic, realizing your trapped here. Soon after, a friendly crystalline humanoid approaches you. The person calms you down and takes you to a hidden abode, where a magic circle on the ground whisks you away to a beautiful city made of various gemstones. Buildings, structures, monuments, and even the roads are made of gemstones of all kinds including; Amethyst, sapphire, emerald, topaz, and crystal. You marvel at the architecture for only few moments before another humanoid, this one's skin seems to be a shade of shiny blue, comes to you and leads you to a barracks-like encampment where you are allowed to be at ease, your role in this world has not yet been decided. Tomorrow you will meet with a dragon to find out where you belong.
If you've made it this far, leave a comment or send us a message, we will then send you an application link with google forms. We are very excited in the world we've built and can't wait to play with you! Link to Startplaying https://startplaying.games/adventure/clhtvm7sd004d08md5be4gzol

6 seats open of 8
"Whoa 100$? That's insane!?" This is not your typical paid per session campaign, instead we are offering a full level 3-20 experience for an upfront deposit, that may be returned under the right circumstances.
"What do you mean by "deposit"?: 100$ is a lot of money to invest into a game up front, we understand this. We are not out to make a profit on this game, the deposit will be returned on the conclusion of the campaign. There will also be other circumstances where the money may be returned. Had a major life change and just can't make time anymore, such as a baby, divorce or big move? No problem, let's talk about that. Started strong but you just aren't clicking with the party? Okay, let's talk about that, maybe put it to a vote in the party. We don't want anyone to feel trapped in a game they aren't enjoying, but we only want to attract the players who will be fully committed to play the game all the way through, be prepared every session, and are just generally a good person to play with. If you are being a jerk and get kicked, deposit forfeited. If you are missing session, constantly distracted, or frequently coming unprepared, you're getting kicked and forfeit your deposit. We don't want to kick players, and will try to fix a problem or come to a solution first, we will listen to our players' concerns as well. Any forfeited money will be used towards the campaign.
"Okay that's fair, and I'm eager to play! When do you want my money?" Your money isn't held hostage, it's a sign of commitment. We won't expect a payment until after session 0, This will give everyone a fair chance to see what they're getting into, meet the people they'll be playing with, and decide this isn't for them. We will also be much more lenient to return money in the first month after seeing how the people you're playing with act.
Disclaimer: If you are racist, bigoted, or just generally a jerk, this isn't the game for you. We didn't make this to fulfill your sick fantasies, and if you're making our players uncomfortable it will be fixed immediately, or you will be kicked. Do not make us pause our game in the middle of the session to correct your behavior. If you made it to here tell us you're a major dice goblin in the other section of the google form. That being said, we are all adults and expect everyone to act like it. There will be cussing, adult content (drinking, smoking, violence), NSFW scenes will be fade to black though, we don't want to RP sexual acts with y'all, keep that in mind for flirting as well, to a lesser extent.
Alright, with that out of the way, lets dive in!
Logistics-
Games are every other week, Beginning in July
You do not need a ready-made character before Session 0, just a concept!
We will stream on twitch. Your backstory can be whatever you want with a couple of stipulations. You are an "other-worlder", you came to this planet through a portal for whatever reason you can come up with, maybe you're on the run, maybe you were sent here as a scout, maybe you were just curious, but your backstory should always end with you entering the portal from your home planet to be transported to Oob. Keep in mind, whatever you left in your old world, can also find its way to Oob... Your ideals should also be that of which you want to go on an adventure, and preferably line up chaotically for the Chromatic kingdom, or lawful for the Metallic kingdom.
The game will be ran with 2 Dungeon masters. That is to say, 2 separate campaigns in the same world run at the same time. We are looking for 8 players, 2 groups of 4. There will be sessions that involve all of us together, but most of the time it will be the typical makeup of 4 players and your DM. You will choose whether to play through either the Metallic campaign or the Chromatic campaign.
Choices you make matter! Not only could they change your campaign, they can change the other players campaign, and the world. There can and will be consequences and rewards, we are aiming for a living world that evolves all the time. If you made it here, Tell us you're not only a major dice goblin, but a major dice goblin who bakes brownies too.
About us:
u/gogone3 : Hi! I have 8 years of experience with DnD, I've been DMing for 6, and I love the game. I'm 28 years old and am in the military. I've never had the pleasure of playing a full campaign all the way through and that's my goal here. I'm pretty laid back and lenient, my players come first, whatever you want to try, whatever homebrew you have, let me know so I can help you do that thing! I will be running the Chromatic campaign.
u/AirForce_Demon_420 : With about 2 years of experience DM-ing and 3 years total Dnd experience, I offer a serious game and am open to all types of ideas that make sense within the world. I will not tolerate arguing after I have decided on a ruling, and things may change after the "heat of the moment" ruling. I also will treat everyone as an adult and don’t sugar coat things. All that being said, the games I run have been received very well, I offer voices, streaming, custom homebrew, and a strong balance between roleplay, exploration, and combat. I to tend a little more towards RP though. I am open to ideas that you may have and will do my best to reach a balance everyone can enjoy. I hope to see you at the table!
We offer a serious game for anyone interested, players will have access to all the DnDbeyond content. We ask you base your toon concept off of official books, and no UA doesn't count. We will be playing on foundry VTT and using discord for voice, If you want to use a camera even better but not a requirement. Please keep in mind this material may be streamed so have an Avatar portrait available and understand that your voice will show up on any of the streams.
About the Setting -
The planet of Oob, a world ruled by the 3 kingdoms of dragons, Metallic, Chromatic, and Gems. The 3 kingdoms are at constant strife with each other, each believing their way of living is right. The Metallics believe that the world should be united under them, their citizens pledging allegiance to the great Bahamut. The Chromatics on the other hand believe that everyone should live freely, pledging fealty to the dragons and offering tribute to live in their land. The Gems believe everyone should live freely, but they take a more neutral approach. They focus more on bringing peace to the 3 kingdoms and allow their citizens to live in their territories unhindered by the dragons. This has led to the land outside of the Gem cities to be very dangerous as the other-worlders live without oversight. The dragons differencing beliefs have led the world to be at a constant war. To make matters more tense, the world is scattered with portals acting as doors from other worlds, a much larger portal in the center of the world is said to connect all the worlds. Through these portals, otherworldly denizens constantly stream through, making up the population of the planet, you are one of these individuals. Whatever your reason for coming to Oob, you quickly find that there's no turning back, the portal you came through is only 1 way. You start to panic, realizing your trapped here. Soon after, a friendly crystalline humanoid approaches you. The person calms you down and takes you to a hidden abode, where a magic circle on the ground whisks you away to a beautiful city made of various gemstones. Buildings, structures, monuments, and even the roads are made of gemstones of all kinds including; Amethyst, sapphire, emerald, topaz, and crystal. You marvel at the architecture for only few moments before another humanoid, this one's skin seems to be a shade of shiny blue, comes to you and leads you to a barracks-like encampment where you are allowed to be at ease, your role in this world has not yet been decided. Tomorrow you will meet with a dragon to find out where you belong.
If you've made it this far, leave a comment or send us a message, we will then send you an application link with google forms. We are very excited in the world we've built and can't wait to play with you! Link to Startplaying https://startplaying.games/adventure/clhtvm7sd004d08md5be4gzol

TL;DR: A Singaporean’s comparison and experience of living in Bangkok, AMA.
Recently seen a lot of posts about moving from Singapore to another country and thought I would share my own experiences about moving from Singapore to Bangkok and some pros and cons of each location.
Please kindly take note that this is all from my personal experience and knowledge and may not apply to everyone.
​
Background:
I (30M) first experienced living and working in Bangkok due to an internship. The internship was mandatory but the location was not specified. I chose Bangkok having never lived there before and ended up liking it so decided to do another internship in Bangkok the following year. After completion, I managed to land a full time job in Bangkok and have been living in Bangkok for 7.5 years now. I am in the hospitality industry.
​
Visa:
In order to stay legally in Thailand, you’ll need to be on the proper visa. You could come in on visa exemption and then do visa runs, but in the long run, it is not a viable option especially since immigration is cracking down on visa runs.
I have listed essentially the easiest visa’s to obtain to live in Thailand legally.
- Non-Immigrant B: Get hired by a company in Thailand, where they will issue you with a work permit and you are allowed to legally work in the role that is written in the work permit. The visa will be valid so long as you are employed.
- Non-Immigrant ED: Enroll into a language school to learn Thai or join a Muay Thai gym. Typically the visa lasts for a year. Working on this visa is illegal.
- Non-Immigrant O-A & O-X: Retirement visa, you need to be 50 years and above. Working on this visa is illegal.
- Non-Immigrant O (Thai Spouse): Get married to a Thai national. The visa is valid as long as you are legally married. Working on this visa is legal.
- Elite Visa: Essentially a paid visa that allows you to stay legally from 5 years up to 20 years. The price starts at THB 600K (one-time fee) up to THB 2M. Working on this visa is illegal.
​
Work Opportunities:
From the above mentioned visas, I only have experience with the Non-Immigrant B visa as I am employed in Bangkok. I may decide to change to the Non-Immigrant O (Thai Spouse) visa when I get married to my Thai partner next year.
Getting employed in Thailand is a route that a lot of people choose when first deciding to move to Thailand. There are essentially 2 options that someone could choose:
- Employee: Get hired by a Thai company. There are a list of prohibited jobs for foreigners in Thailand such as hairdresser, Thai massage, tour guide, legal services (you can be a consultant though). Legally there is also a minimum salary for foreigners to earn. For Singaporeans, the minimum salary / month is THB 45K however there are also loopholes in order for employees to avoid paying this much. This minimum salary does not apply to teaching. Some of the most popular jobs for foreigners are in education (teacher), tech, marketing, consulate / embassy, diving instructor, hospitality and work for an MNC.
- Business Owner: Opening your own business is another way to work in Thailand. The most popular registration choice for foreigners is to open a limited company. You will only have ownership of 49% of the company, and the remaining 51% needs to be owned by a Thai person. Many foreigners will put the 51% in their Thai spouse’s name. It is also possible to have 2 Thai’s own the 51% (25.5% each) so that the foreigner still has majority ownership. You can also then apply for a work permit however need to have four Thai workers per foreigner employed and THB 2 M in capital.
​
Salary & Income:
In general, the salary in Thailand is significantly lower than in Singapore, however the cost of living is also more expensive. My first salary in Bangkok was gross THB 45K / month, take home pay was around THB 38K. That is roughly S$1,500. I lived a mostly Thai lifestyle, with little to no savings each month. Thankfully I am now on a salary higher than if I was in the same position in Singapore. I would advise that a salary of THB 50K / month is the minimum that any Singaporean should be willing to take in order to move to Bangkok. Anything THB 100K / month and you’ll be able to live comfortably on a mixed of local + foreigner lifestyle so long as you have no kids or don’t intend to send them to international school.
The best is if you end up on an expat contract and you will have your basic salary (usually paid in USD) + housing allowance + yearly flight tickets back home + international school fees for your kids paid for. Obviously this is subject to the company but I have heard of people also getting transport allowance, grocery shopping allowance, company car and driver, live-in maid, etc.
​
Working Life:
Tasks in Singapore get done. And they get done fast. Singapore is efficient and as much as Singaporeans love queuing (for food), they also don’t like waiting. However, working in Singapore can be very competitive. The so called ‘rat race’ starts the moment you enter working life. Depending on the industry, overtime is often expected. The “kiasu” mentality in Singaporeans often causes the over-competitiveness at the workplace.
Working life in Thailand is quite the opposite of Singapore. Thai employees generally take things slower. Decisions that can be made in 1 day in Singapore, can take 1 month in Thailand. Many Thai workers just want to do their 8-10 hours a day, grab a beer after work, go home to sleep and then repeat the next day. Thai employees are also generally less competitive compared to Singaporeans, thus as a Singaporean working in Bangkok, I am able to stand out amongst my Thai colleagues and was able to progress much faster in my career compared to if I was working in the competitive Singaporean environment. In Thailand, “saving face” is very important especially at the management level. The practice of “saving face” is not something that many westerners understand and are used to, thus is often a disadvantage to them.
​
Condo, Apartments & Houses:
To be honest, I cannot speak about the Singapore property market and prices because I have no firsthand experience. I have never bought or rented any property in Singapore before. I can only share the prices in Bangkok for you guys to compare.
In Bangkok, a typical 1 bedroom condo (30 SQM to 35 SQM) can be found for THB 10K (S$388) to THB 15K (S$582) per month. These condos are typically within a 10 – 20 minute BTS/MRT ride into the city center. The further out you go, the cheaper condos are. Alternatively, the closer you are to the city center, the more expensive the condo’s get.
Local apartments are even cheaper and can be rented under THB10K per month. Some apartments even have rooms for rent that are THB 3000 (S$116) per month, however the room is usually quite small (20 SQM), has no kitchen, sometimes no hot water, sometimes no AC, and is in a very local area of Bangkok. It is literally a room with a bed and a bathroom inside.
There are also houses for rent in Bangkok. There are 2 major types of houses: the first are standalone houses and the second are called townhouses (essentially a house in a gated community). These can range from THB 25K (S$970) to more than THB 100K (S$3880) per month depending on the size, location, age, etc.
Alternatively, if you decide to, foreigners can also legally purchase condos under certain regulations. Every condo has a foreigner quota which essentially every condo need to be 51% majority owned by a Thai national. So if a condo has 100 units, minimum 51 units need to be owned by a Thai national. If the current condo only has 50 units owned by a Thai, then a foreigner is unable to purchase a unit in that condo project until 1 more unit is owned by a Thai. Condos can be bought starting from THB 1M (S$38.8K) to THB 100M (S$3.8M) depending on the size and location.
Owning land in Thailand by foreigners is not allowed. There are some ways and loopholes of getting around it such as setting up a business in Thailand. Lots of foreigners who marry a Thai national end up putting the land under their partners name and by getting a usufruct / right of superficies, it protects the foreigners in the sense that their partner would be unable to sell the land without the permission of the foreigner. It is honestly quite complicated and I personally went through this route.
The townhouse that I purchased cost around THB 12.5M (S$485K) and is roughly 250 SQM (2690 SQFT), with 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, with a decent sized garden and garage large enough for 2 cars. It is in a good location (not in the city center) with a 20 minute drive into the city center. With S$485K, I am not sure if you could even buy a 2 or 3 bedroom HDB in a not so desired district in Singapore.
​
Food:
Singapore has hawker centers while Bangkok has street food. Street food in Bangkok is cheap, usually starting from THB 40. Singapore hawker centers are relatively affordable although there have been a significant increase in prices over the past couple of years. There are also a wide variety of eateries from food courts to Michelin Starred restaurants, with lots of different types of cuisines in both cities. Prices in both cities can range from cheap to crazy expensive, so it really depends on what kind of budget and lifestyle you have.
​
Cost Of Living:
It is well known that Singapore has an expensive cost of living, while the cost of living in Bangkok is cheaper. It is not S$1 for a one beer kind of cheap, but it’s definitely cheaper than Singapore. I have not lived in Singapore for the past 9 years so I am not in touch with the current prices in Singapore. So I will just share the prices in Bangkok.
Gym memberships in Bangkok are usually around THB 1000 (S$38) to THB 1500 (S$58) a month. A foot / Thai massage cost THB 250 (S$10) to THB 350 (S$13) per hour, a ticket in the cinema is about THB 250 (S$10). A drink in a bar is around THB 150 (S$6) to THB 250 (S$10) depending on the type of establishment. I could go on and on but in generally most things are cheaper in Bangkok than in Singapore.
​
Transport:
- Public Transport: Public transport in Singapore is reliable. Living in Singapore, it is generally convenient to take the bus and MRT for transport.
In Bangkok, if you live in the city center you will have no issue using only the BTS & MRT to get around. Buses are not reliable due to the sheer amount of traffic. Alternatively, using motorcycle taxis are also a viable option for short to medium distances. If you lived in the suburbs or even other provinces such as Chiang Mai & Phuket, you’ll either have to buy / rent a car or motorcycle, use Grab or a songthaew (shared pickup truck).
- Motorcycle Ownership: Purchasing your own motorcycle is also a popular option. A new Honda Click 150 can be bought for around THB 61K (S$2.3k).
- Car Ownership: The cheapest first hand car in Singapore is roughly around S$80,000 to S$90,000 (THB 2M to THB 2.3M). On top of that, Singapore’s COE in May (1st bidding) for CAT A closed at S$101,001 (THB 2.5M).
In Thailand, cars start around THB 500K. An entry level Mercedes Benz A-Class will cost around THB 1.9 M (S$74,000). Cheaper cars in Thailand do come with a price and that is the traffic in Bangkok. During peak period, expect your 15 minute car ride to extend to 1 hour or even more depending on your location within the city. Traffic in other provinces is generally much better compared to Bangkok.
​
Social Circle:
In Singapore, you generally already have a group of friends that you met since high school / university / army (for guys).
Unless you have family or friends already living in Thailand, you’ll need to start from scratch. The easiest way to make friends is usually from your workplace. Another popular option is to use apps such as Meetup.com and Tinder for dating. Some may find it hard at first to make friends with Thai people due to the language barrier if you do not speak Thai and they do not speak much English.
​
Language:
In Singapore, English is widely spoken. Mandarin Chinese, Tamil and Malay are also used. It is easy to communicate with 99% of the population.
In Thailand, English is not widely used by everyone especially in the areas where there are no/less tourists. Signs (food, road, etc) can often be only written in Thai.
​
Domestic Travel:
Unless you consider taking the MRT to Sentosa domestic travelling, Singapore does not offer much domestic travel. In Thailand, a 1.5 hour plane ride can take you to Chiang Mai, Phuket, Koh Samui, Khon Kaen, etc. While a 2 hour car drive can take you to Pattaya, Hua Hin, Kanchanaburi, Ayutthaya, etc for quick weekend getaways. Singapore however, is a major hub in Asia and many international flights use Changi Airport as a hub. I also personally prefer Singapore Airlines to Thai Airways.
​
Safety & Crime:
Singapore is generally extremely safe. Chances of you getting robbed by knife are slim to none. In Thailand, it is also generally safe. Be smart and do not put yourself into dangerous situations and you’ll generally be fine. I have never gotten pickpocketed or robbed or scammed or anything of similarity over my years of living here.
​
Government:
This is the topic that I prefer not to talk about. In short:
- The Singapore government is stable.
- I have no comment regarding the Thai government, except let’s see what happens in the next couple of months.
​
TL;DR: A Singaporean’s comparison and experience of living in Bangkok, AMA.
​
And that’s pretty much it. I do apologize for this being so long. I tried my best to share as much as possible without overdoing it. This post got taken down in askSingapore , so hopefully it doesn't break any rules of this subreddit.
If anyone has any further questions, please feel free to AMA.

This is my second story, Any advice and suggestion to improve it will be welcome.
It was crispy and dark november night. Eric was enjoying a night walk after dinner. He was walking around on a dirt road while gazing at the stars. This always made him relaxed especially when he had a bad day. The dirt path was surrounded by trees but they were far enough to not block the sky. The most important thing about this road was that it was quiet. He have rarely seen somebody during his walks,there were no cars or speeding bikes to create disturbance in this peaceful part of the world. To avoid any distrubance he usually left his phone back at his apartment. So he could enjoy his walk peacefully without someone calling him to ruin his personal time.
While walking he saw a car parked at the edge of the dirt road. Its hood was open but there weren't any moving flashlight to indicate someone near it. He thought this was weird as people dont usually travel along this road as it ends up at a dried up pond. He decided to check it out and see if he could help in anyway.
As he approached he noticed the car was not in a good condition. The red paint was worn from many places and some of the places were rusted. He was so fixated on the car,he jumped out of his skin when he heard the voice from car.
"Help,is someone out there,please if there is anybody out there please help me." It was a woman's voice coming from the trunk of the car. Eric could not believe what he was hearing. He immediately went beside the car.
"What happend, were you kidnapped, are you hurt?" He asked the questions one after another not waiting for the reply in his panic.
"Yes, I was kidnapped. Please get me out of here. He could return at anytime. I dont know how much time has left till he returns. Just get me out of here. I dont want to die." She said hurriedly as if fearing that the kidnapper may return at any point of time.
"Calm down miss, i will try to get some help and get you out of there. Do you have any idea how long until he arrives ? " he asked trying to calm her while thinking of a way to get her out of the trunk.
"No please dont go" she said urgently " you cant leave me here alone what if he returns while you are gone, you are my only chance of getting safely out of here."
Eric cursed himeself silently for leaving his phone at home. He asked about her name while trying to figure out how to open the trunk.
"My name is Katie." She replied.
" Okay, listen katie I am going to find some thing to break the window and check if the trunk can be opened from the inside of the car. I will be right back so dont worry." He said.
" Okay,but please hurry up and get me out of here." She begged.
He walked sideways off the dirtpath and started looking for something to break the window. While looking for a rock be caught a glint of something in the moonlight. He squinted and realised he was looking at keys.
He stooped to pick the keys while thinking how lucky he would be if these were the car keys. When his hands reached the keys a thought rushed in his mind. What if all of this was a trap. He could almost feel the cold metal of the gun on his back. He was waiting for the gunshot and took a relieved breath when it didnt arrive. He hurridly walked back to the car.
He put the keys in the lock of trunk and turned the keys. He heard the resounding click. He felt immense relief as he was worried he have the wrong keys. He pulled the trunk up while saying " Lets hurry up,bef-"
These were the last words Eric uttered as a snake like tentacle emerged from the car and swolled Eric whole. The tentacle retracted back and the trunk closed automatically.
After a few minutes, a black figure emerged from the tree lines and picked up the keys put the front hood down and went inside the car and started it.
"Just a few more, and you will be as new as if you were made yesterday." He said while caressing the steering wheel.
The pathes where the paint was missing gradually started filling up and the color became slightly brighter. The crumbling leather seats started mending themselves.
The car moved and left behind a plume of smoke resembling a man.

Thanks to u/BlueFishcakes for the SSB universe.
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Chapter 18 - When It Rains It Pours
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- 18th of April 2024,13:10, Salem district, Sweden -
Adam finally, in the midst of what had now become a proper rainstorm, reached the outside of Vitsand. Only ten or fifteen minutes ago when Adam had driven past what he believed to be his little brother hand in hand with a shil’ it had just begun raining.
But now it had become a lot more aggressive, fairly quickly at that too, which was lucky for François that it only happened now when Adam was almost at his destination. Thinking of which, he took a right instead of going forward which would have taken him into Vitsand itself. François said he was at the beach nearby, well it was barely a beach considering how tiny it was. The beach could at most hold three families at once especially since there were really only space for three cars on the dirt parking lot there, but. Thanks to how secluded it was, whenever the family had gone there during the summer it was almost always empty and no one besides Adam's family and a couple of the locals even knew it existed.
And Adam now took the last turn he’d need to take before reaching his destination. that being onto a dirt road which went through a small patch of forest until it reached lake Mälaren and the unnamed beach François was currently waiting for Adam at.
Going slowly on the tight dirt road it didn’t take long for Adam to reach the beach and while he stopped just before the beach, on the tiny dirt parking spac, Adam could see something a little peculiar. Something that confirmed a theory he had rolling around in his brain whilst he was driving here.
And that something was a boat, a small fishing boat if Adam had to guess. That had simply been lodged into the beach, now stuck. Which had pretty much confirmed his idea that he had in fact gotten to the beach by boat. And seeing as François didn’t own a boat last time Adam heard anything, much less actually even lived in the area. It was likely stolen, now why François would steal a boat was a mystery, one Adam hoped the man himself could clear up.
Adam turned off the car, and dug out his phone out of his pocket. And just as he was about to call his older brother, there was a knock on the window. While it startled Adam a little he quickly glanced to his right where the knocking sound was emanating from and lo and behold, it was in fact his older brother, François.
After spotting him François quickly opened the red car door and sat himself in the Saab, reasonably so because the weather was fucking ridiculous. “Took you long enough” François said with a sigh, just from his voice anyone could deduce that he was pretty tired.
And another thing he realized as he looked over to his brother who was putting on his seatbelt was that he had a massive red splotch on his right thigh.
As if he had been bleeding there, he had clearly covered it with something , likely a bandage and it didn’t look like it was bleeding but Adam still found it rather concerning, reasonably so. “And what the fuck happened to you then?” He asked, the concern noticeable in his voice.
“Ah… I’ll explain but we need to get fucking going” “And we need to get going right about now because you took longer than I thought you would” François finished as he slumped down into the passenger seat. “Not really my fault but… whatever.” Was Adam’s response before he turned the car back on.
Turning the car back on the headlights lit up the darkness caused by the incredibly dark rain clouds. Adam slowly creaked his way around the tiny dirt parking lot before the car was finally facing the correct direction. Now going back the way he came from not many minutes ago at all, Adam realized he didn’t even know where François was supposed to be taken to.
“Where are you even supposed to be dropped off?” Adam asked, and to his question François, who while Adam was getting away from the parking lot had nearly fallen asleep in only a couple seconds. Jolted up at the question, hitting his knee on the glove compartment in the process. “AAH FUCK!” François all but yelled out. Holding his shaking, bloodied leg he responded after a couple seconds “Aah I mean, I don't really know honestly, I didn’t really think id have to go all the way over here”
“Would dropping you off at mom & dads place work? Also, my first concern would be you seeing a doctor, I don’t know what the fuck you’ve been up to but you clearly hurt.” Adam retorted, a little more serious than prior.
“Sure that's fine…. Also I don’t think that's necessary” His older brother responded as they finally made it out of the little forest and onto the road that would take them down to Salem, away from Vitsand. “I'm only injured in that leg and I think it's only really shrapnel and a big burn, scar, thing? I'm not really sure, I haven't had much time to diagnose what it is.”
“I… I'm not going to ask yet how that happened but are you sure you can handle that yourself without getting an infection?”
“Look, i'm trying to escape here and that would be completely thrown out the window if I went to a hospital now”
“Worst case scenario I go to one in a week, the chance of them knowing who I am then is considerably lower, still not something I want to or plan on doing but it's a last ditch choice I could take.”
“You know mom will probably force you to go to the hospital the moment she sees you like that?” Adam responded with a slight chuckle. Because it was true, to be fair any other sane person would have also done so but their mother was a little special, aggressively caring would probably be the best descriptor Adam could think of regarding his mother, she definitely had character either way.
“Yeah yeah whatever, I’ll deal with it then I've got bigger concerns” François said as Adam saw something he really hoped he wouldn’t on his way down. That being what he believed to be his little brother Andreas and a shil girl roughly the same age as him. Luckily though, They seemed to have sat themselves under a fairly large tree to wait out the storm. And, the boy, who Adam was almost entirely certain was Andreas had his head turned away from the car staring intently at the woman he was with.
However as quickly as he saw them, Adam drove past them. And François either didn’t have the energy to care or simply didn’t register that they were there. Either way, Adam was relieved as that meant he didn’t have to deal with François freaking out. Which he’d had the luck of never doing prior, sure he’d heard his parents deal with him having an episode but he never had to get involved himself. Mainly because all of his mental issues came post-invasion and they hadn’t seen each other much post-invasion. Besides the very early days of the invasion when Adam moved back into his parents house and François also lived there because he had moved there a month or so prior for work in inner-city Stockholm.
This pretty random request has been one of the few this post invasion he’d even texted or called Adam, muchless met in person. Since only a little bit after the invasion François took almost all the money he had and bought a small house with a decent amount of acreage in effectively the middle of nowhere. Meaning, since he’s moved no one’s really seen or heard much from him.
However as they were nearing Salem and there with François drop off point, Adam wanted to know what in the fuck was going on. “So, you said you’d explain…”
“Yeah about that… It's a long story but it's the least I can do I suppose….”
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- 18th of April 2024,13:20, Salem district, Sweden -
Tamarz and her pod landed on the very small, sand beach. The one the suspect who managed to flee, crashed the boat he somehow stole into. How he even managed to go under their, and hundreds of marines' noses was beyond Tamarz and how he then had time to jack a boat, drive it. Slowly mind you, out into the greater part of lake “Malaren” before the data teams even saw any irregularities via satellite was a fucking mystery to everyone including the aforementioned data teams.
Or alternatively, they know how he did it but don’t want to say how because it would prove them incompetent. Either way he had gotten extremely lucky that in the first place, no one found him in the woods, but then that no one spotted his slow limping towards the first town with access to the lake where he then spent, according to data teams, twenty whole fucking minutes getting the engine of the boat he stole to start.
Twenty whole fucking minutes, and during that entire time no one had any fucking idea where he was. And Tamarzs and her pod were still rolling around in that fucking forest trying to find the goddess damned stiff. Tamarz almost wished she didn’t have contact with the data teams, but alas deathsheads are given a lot more freedom to act as they wish and so they, more specifically the pod leader, needs to have quick ways to contact those who collect such information, aka the data teams. Sure she did have a superior but beyond that and the empress herself no one could really get their tits involved in what the fuck she decided to do.
But back to the reality of the situation, at least she could have a little piece of mind knowing the numbskull marines, being several hundred in number covering a fairly large area. Couldn’t find the literal bleeding, limping man who was probably walking for an hour straight before he got the goddess damned boat.
How no one even saw the blood trail was mind boggling. And the only ones who’d thus far even been remotely close to the whore was Tamarz and her little pod of deathsheads. Which to be fair shouldn’t be surprising given that they are you know, deathsheads. But still it irked Tamarz to no end that they still hadn’t caught him. Since it's not like he was an expert, he clearly miscalculated several things which she SHOULD have been able to take advantage of but she missed those in the moment and thus lost the advantage.
At least now they know roughly where he is, because for a little bit no one had any idea where he was. Luckily the data teams managed to get their tusks out of their asses and found him driving away on the boat. But alas, there wasn’t much point dwelling about the past and the small mistakes Tamarz made as a pod leader that made them miss their suspect entirely.
Turning the vic off, Tamarz stepped out, her three pod members following suit. As she stepped out she noticed two things immediately.
One, that it was raining, like a lot. This weather reminded her a lot of Shil itself actually, although this wouldn’t be considered a particularly rainy day back on Shil. Unlike here where this amount of rain was fairly rare from her personal experience. Also that she hadn’t even noticed the rain before stepping out was a bit concerning to herself. She’d been pretty deep in thought and concentrated on the task at hand but surely she would notice if the rain went from zero to a hundred, right?
And second was the boat in question, stranded on the tiny beach they landed on. The suspect, clearly in too much of a hurry to flee, didn't even bother trying to park it or anything; he just crashed it into the beach.
At least it was nice to know that the data teams weren’t just talking out of their ass when they said he crashed it.
One other thing she did realize as she was looking around was the lack of a strong blood trail. Which to be fair, could be because of the rain, especially since Tamarz didn’t really even know for how long the rain had been going on. But still there should be some red residue left on the ground. But there was only a faint streak of red going from the crashed boat to a tree.
And from that tree Tamarz thought she could make out a small red line going to the tiny dirt parking lot, however, if it was blood it was so diluted that she wasn’t sure. How he even made it this far without fainting was also a mystery, since at least according to the experts from prior. He shouldn’t have long at all until he either dies of blood loss or simply goes unconscious.
But deciding not to waste more time than necessary, Tamarz got her move on.
“Mejoxia, Juia, you two do a quick grid search of the small wooded area here to make sure he isn’t hiding here” “Me and Réka will quickly look through the boat to see if there’s anything of interest there”
At that, all three in unison shouted “Ma’am yes Ma’am!” the two who were going to search the woods, turning around to do so. With that Tamarz and rakiri pod mate Réka made the small walk from the parked vic to the boat the terrorist had left stranded at the beach.
The short walk up to the boat was in silence. But as they got onto the rather small boat, they saw quite a lot of things that caught their attention. First of all the blood, his blood, was everywhere. But especially around the driver's seat, where there was also a first aid kit with all of its contents strewn around the drivers seat. Secondly he had opened what Tamarz could only assume was the engine of the boat located under the helm. And there were crossed wires, literally, whilst other wires had seemingly been cut off at random. And two wires had clearly been cut, and then forced to reconnect with something humans call “silver tape”
While Tamarz really had no idea what she was looking at, this was likely how he forced the boat to start in the first place, in order to facilitate his escape. While she was looking around she noticed something, under a table that was between two small couches. There was a rifle, which Tamarz pointed to, quickly alerting Réka to the contraband.
However as she was about to go under the table to retrieve the weapon, she received a call. And the visor in her helmet immediately let her know whom was calling.
It was in fact, her contact within the data-teams, Mrs Ele'ya, Do'ro Ele'ya.
“I will make this call quick since you need to go immediately after it” Do'ro immediately began speaking as soon as Tamarz answered the call. With but a quick paus she continued.
“We have determined the suspects current position to be near the town of Salem, not more than twenty minutes by road from your current position and maybe two or three by flight”
“I’ll send you the exact coordinates but you need to move now, last he was seen by the other data team on “CCTV” footage was in a red car, they’re unsure if he’s driving the vehicle or not so you might have two armed suspects” “Move now, don’t waste time.” And before Tamarz even got a singular word in, not even a “Yes Ma’am” Do'ro turned off the call.
Well as Mrs Ele’ya said, Tamarz better get moving. While it was a little disturbing that this was all getting so close to home, this was Tamarz’s chance to redeem her own pride, and the pride of the empire from some mentally ill primitive….
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Arsenal 22/23 A Season Review Part 1 Of 3: August-World Cup: A Stunning Start.
The 2022/23 season is Mikel Arteta’s 3rd full campaign in charge of Arsenal and as well the 3rd of his managerial career. His 1st game in the hot seat came on Boxing Day of 2019, a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth which saw Arsenal drop down a place to 12th in the table. Just a few months into his reign and Arteta was the first high-profile figure in English Football to be diagnosed with Covid-19, the virus which drew the Premier League to a standstill for 3 months and the wider world for a much longer time. It was to empty stadiums which Arsenal played out the remainder of their season which eventually concluded on the 1st of August. An 8th-placed finish was the club’s lowest since 1995. However, there was joy to be found as there so often has been for Arsenal, in the FA Cup. In the one and only Covid FA Cup Final played in front of no spectators Arsenal came from behind to defeat London rivals Chelsea for their record-extending 14th FA Cup, after reaching the final with an unlikely triumph over Manchester City in the semis. Arteta’s first half-season had ended brilliantly and his first full-season started in the same vein with more silverware following as Arsenal defeated Premier League Champions Liverpool to win the Community Shield. Tough times quickly followed and Arteta may have been somewhat grateful for the empty stadiums, as it’s questionable whether the board would have held their nerve and kept faith with such a young manager through this dreadful period had the fans been inside the ground and able to voice their frustrations. On Boxing Day of 2020, not only did Mikel celebrate the 1 year anniversary of his first match in charge, he celebrated a 3-1 victory over Chelsea, his side's first league win for nearly 2 months. It was the first time Saka, Martinelli & Smith Rowe all started a league game together for Arsenal. It was to prove a seminal moment, but it wasn’t enough to move his team up from 15th in the table. It was never so bad again for Arteta and his Arsenal team, with the side eventually settling for a repeat of the previous season’s finish, again coming in 8th. Failure to win the Europa League (exiting the competition to Villarreal in the Semi-Finals, who were incidentally managed by Unai Emery, the manager sacked prior to Arteta taking the job) meant that Arsenal would be without European football for the first time since the 95-96 campaign. And the 21-22 season would begin horribly with Arsenal bottom after 3 matches in which they failed to score and conceded 9 goals. However as the season progressed Arsenal began to find some resilience, quality and self-belief. The sides upheaval came not coincidentally around the time club captain Aubameyang was stripped of that duty before being allowed to depart for Barcelona in the January window. Aubameyang had been the team’s standout performer when winning the FA Cup, but since those performances had seen him rewarded with a new bumper contract which made him by far the club’s best-paid player, his attitude and performance level had become a problem that needed to be dealt with.
More so than any win, it was actually a home defeat to Champions City which perhaps best demonstrated this new Arsenal which was beginning to emerge. They took City on and pushed them all the way only to eventually lose in the 93rd minute, whilst being a man down for the final half-hour with centre-back Gabriel being harshly dismissed. The fight was on with local rivals Tottenham for the final Champions League spot and it was firmly in Arsenal’s hands until a run of 4 defeats in 5 allowed Spurs back into contention. The Gunners appeared to retake control with a run of 4 straight wins before losing tamely away at Spurs and then Newcastle, in the end missing out by 2 points. Throughout the season Arsenal had spells of real high-quality football, and the fans had taken to the project with more passion and belief than they had in the final years of Wenger’s reign or during Unai Emery’s short-lived stint. In the end, though they missed out on the prize of Champions League football due to a combination of injuries to important players and the inexperience of a young group.
Despite the significant setback of missing out on a Champions League spot having held it in their hands for many of the season’s final months, Arsenal still entered the summer of 2022 with plenty of reasons for optimism. Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe had emerged as the real breakout stars of the prior season and Gabriel Martinelli wasn’t too far behind. There had been some clearly smart signings made by the club, in particular, those of Martin Ødegaard and Ben White, signed from Real Madrid and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively. The July purchases of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko for a combined 75M from Manchester City seemed yet more smart business, in them, they had picked up two quality players with four Premier League winners medals each, and both arriving aged 25 they seemed in the perfect age bracket to become big players for Arsenal not just for the immediate but as well the foreseeable future.
Jesus’ Arsenal debut came in a 5-3 friendly win over FC Nurnberg in which he scored twice. He followed this up with another in a 2-0 win over Everton as Arsenal continued their pre-season with a tour of the USA. Arsenal played 3 matches in America and won all 3, by far the most impressive being a 4-0 trouncing of Chelsea. The Gunners made it 5 pre-season wins from 5 when they returned home the following weekend to beat Sevilla 6-0 at the Emirates, a hattrick from Jesus meaning he had netted 7 goals in his first 5 appearances in Arsenal colours. Arsenal would get the Premier League season underway away at Crystal Palace, under the Friday night lights of Selhurst Park. No Premier League side would have envied them this difficult fixture, Arsenal had experienced just how tough it was 4 months prior when a 3-0 loss away at the ground began a torrid run of results for the Gunners. Arsenal had also begun the previous season away on a Friday night and come unstuck against newly promoted Brentford. Again Arsenal was straight back under the Premier League spotlight to see whether they had grown and matured from such damaging defeats last season. The Arsenal quickly proved they were up to the test, starting right on the front foot and keeping Palace penned back in their own third. Jesus immediately highlighted the new dimension he was going to bring to Arsenal’s attack, when his strength and then neat dribbling fashioned a great chance out of nothing, a chance Martinelli should have done much better with, his side-foot finish going the wrong side of the post with the goal gaping. The Brazilian would make up for it in the 20th minute when a corner was headed into the six-yard box by Zinchenko, who was picked out by Saka to deliver a free header. His head found Martinelli’s and from close range, he was able to notch Arsenal’s first of the league campaign. That was to be the only goal in the game for the next hour, but despite Arsenal’s slender lead they rarely looked in danger of being pegged back. On the instances that keeper Aaron Ramsdale was called into action, he was ready and dealt with Palace’s occasional threats soundly. The game was put beyond Crystal Palace in the 85th minute when Bukayo Saka’s dangerous ball across the six-yard box was headed into his own net by Guehi. This made certain of 3 richly deserved points for the Gunners.
Jamie Carragher for one was particularly impressed with the start Arsenal made to the game saying afterwards: “Arsenal played like a big team. When I say a big team, I’m talking about a Man City or Liverpool, a team who wherever they go, dominate the opposition. I felt like we were watching City or Liverpool in that first 20 minutes, half an hour.” Fellow Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville was more impressed with Arsenal in the second half saying: “The question mark about Arsenal will be whether they’ve got that robustness and resilience, physicality to get through that difficult 15 or 20 minute periods in away matches, and they got through that (tonight) and that impressed me.” Saliba was also singled out for praise with Carragher adding: “He looked the real deal. He adds something, we’ve always felt they were weak, at Brentford last season they got bullied and here last season, his physical stature will certainly help them in tough away games.”
Arsenal’s first home league game of the season was against Leicester City. The opening goal began with Jesus tormenting Johnny Evans tight to the touchline, after beating him he fed Martinelli who was able to get into the penalty area and find Xhaka, the Swiss international touched it first time back into Jesus who took a touch to steady himself then teased it over the head of Ward in the Leicester goal and into the net. It was an angle he had no right to try from, let alone score from but such was the Brazilian forwards confidence in front of the goal he fancied his chances from anywhere. The goal was nominated for Premier League goal of the month. Jesus got his second to double Arsenal’s advantage in the 35th minute, this time in a much simpler fashion. A corner across the six-yard box was not dealt with, a Leicester head on it only sped up its path to Jesus who was waiting to nod home from practically on the goal line.
Later in the first half, Leicester thought they had a way back into the game when referee Darren England pointed to the spot having judged Ramsdale to have brought down Jamie Vardy. However VAR advised him to check the monitor, and after re-watching the incident it was clear there was no contact made and the penalty decision was reversed. Leicester did still manage to half their deficit early in the second half though, a long ball was flicked on leaving Saliba in a difficult situation to deal with. Ramsdale was advancing but wouldn’t get there first and Vardy was waiting on the French defender’s shoulder, leaving him no alternative but to try and head the ball clear whilst facing his own goal. He only succeeded in diverting it into the net. This could have been a moment when the Arsenal crowd got nervous and frustrated. They had allowed a soft goal and their youngest defender was at fault. However the crowd immediately rallied behind Saliba and his teammates, he and the team needed help putting that mistake behind them and the crowd’s noise in the aftermath of conceding will have been reassuring to the players.
Demonstrating this, Arsenal went straight up the other end and scored, Ward made a meal of a cross, dropping it at the feet of Jesus who squared for Xhaka. The Swiss midfielder was being deployed in a new, more adventurous role where he was spending more time in the opposition box, he got his reward for this new tactic with a simple tap-in from right in front of the goal. Leicester would again reduce the home team’s lead to one however when Iheanacho found Maddison, who was able to shoot straight through Ramsdale. The young English keeper will have been disappointed at being so easily beaten from such an angle, his wide-open legs presenting the opportunity to the Leicester midfielder. Again Arsenal immediately responded to the setback by going up the other end and scoring again. This move began with Martinelli winning the ball back and feeding Ødegaard who moved the ball on to Jesus, who carried it forward before finding Martinelli who shot low from outside the box, he beat the outstretched Ward and hit the bottom corner, with the ball hitting the inside of the post on its way in. It had been a good day at the office for Arsenal and a great day for Gabriel Jesus, though despite scoring 2 and assisting the other 2 of Arsenal’s 4 goals, according to his manager Jesus left the field disappointed because: “he thinks he should have scored 4, that’s the sort of mentality you need. I wouldn’t like to play against him. He’s so mobile, intuitive, sharp and proactive in any moment or phase of the game.”
Arsenal next travelled to newly promoted Bournemouth. It took The Gunners just 5 minutes to take the lead and again it came from the phenomenal centre-forward play of Gabriel Jesus. A loose touch from White saw the ball launch high into the air, the Brazilian reacted first, beautifully controlling the ball whilst at the same time using his considerable body strength to hold off the Bournemouth midfielder, with exceptional balance he then dribbled around two other Bournemouth shirts until he was on the edge of the box facing their defence, with a lovely disguised pass he then fed Martinelli who was free to his left, his shot was saved but it fell straight at the feet of new captain Martin Ødegaard who was on hand to notch his first of the season. Rightfully though the praise went to Jesus with commentator Alan Smith saying: “You won’t see a better example of centre forward play than this.”
Ødegaard had to wait just 6 more minutes for his second of the season, a cross along the floor from White found Jesus who was free, his first touch wasn’t the best but it allowed it to set up nicely for the Norwegian to strike first time, which he duly did and the ball flashed into the net. Early in the second half and Arsenal had a third goal, with Xhaka setting it back to Saliba just inside the penalty area. Saliba struck it beautifully the first time, keeping his shot down under the bar and too perfectly placed for the keeper to do anything about. It was just Saliba’s second goal in senior football but he had finished it with the class and composure of a player who had scored 200. The strike drew Zinchenko to his knees, clutching his head in disbelief at the quality of the finish and unsurprisingly it was voted as Arsenal’s goal of the month. Jesus thought he’d netted Arsenal’s 4th but a VAR check ruled the goal out for offside, so the North Londoners had to settle for a 3-0 win in what had been an excellent away performance.
The Arsenal faced more newly promoted opposition the following week, this time back at home against Fulham for Arteta’s 100th Premier League game in charge. They would be without Zinchenko and Partey who had picked up injuries and were replaced by Tierney and Elneny respectively. The best chance of the first half went to Saka who got beyond his marker to face Leno one-against one, but he was unable to beat the keeper. It would be Fulham who took the lead however with Arsenal falling behind for the first time in the season. From the full-back position, Saka flighted a ball into Gabriel, who unnecessarily played himself into trouble. He never seemed to have the ball truly under his spell, and his second touch invited Mitrovic to try and take it off him, the defender then got his body positioning wrong, and failed to protect the ball allowing the forward to nick it from behind him and then the Serb was able to keep his composure and finish past Ramsdale.
Fulham’s lead lasted just 8 minutes, Martin Ødegaard lodging Arsenal’s response. There was a degree of good fortune about the goal, with a big deflection on the strike. But there was no doubt the Norwegian had deserved it, he was having an outstanding game with all of Arsenal’s danger coming through him. He was constantly creating, with inventive passes and dribbling runs. In this instance, a clever stepover had bought him the space for the shot. Ødegaard continued to lead Arsenal’s push for a winner with he, in particular, deserving to be on the winning side, and the winner did come though not until the 86th minute. Leno failed to deal with a corner, missing his attempted punch clearance and the ball fell at the feet of Gabriel who was able to gain the perfect redemption for his earlier error by securing all 3 points for his side. The goal kept Arsenal at the top of the Premier League as they remained the only team with a 100% record.
Arsenal finished August with another home game, facing Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa. This presented Arsenal with a chance to win their opening 5 league games for the first time since 2004. Saka passed up a golden opportunity to give Arsenal the ideal start when Martinelli’s cross found him completely free at the back post, it was set up perfectly for Saka to hit on the volley, which he did but he got too under the ball and lifted it horribly high and wide from inside the six-yard box. An Arsenal opening goal felt inevitable however and it came on the half-hour mark when Emi Martinez could only push out an Xhaka shot as far as Gabriel Jesus, who was on hand to punish him. Martinez did go someway to redeeming himself later in the half with an excellent stop to deny a brilliant half-volley from Martinelli from 25 yards out.
Arsenal dominated the first half and continued their domination in the second but could not increase their advantage, it was instead Aston Villa who got the second goal of the game, in a somewhat controversial fashion. A corner from Douglas Luiz went straight into the net with Ramsdale unable to reach the ball due to his path being completely blocked by Kamara, who also limited the keepers’ movement by having both arms wrapped around his back. The goal stood but Arsenal cancelled it out in their own way, by going straight up the Villa end and retaking the lead. Saka coolly picked out Martinelli who struck it the first time on the half volley, Martinez clawed desperately at the ball but could not prevent it from going over his goal line and The Gunners were able to see the victory out. Arsenal’s player of the month was unsurprisingly Gabriel Jesus with 3 goals and 3 assists in 5 games. Arsenal’s maximum points after 5 games saw Mikel Arteta pick up Premier League manager of the month.
Arsenal started September with a chance to go 4 points clear of City in 2nd, after just six games. Standing in their way was Manchester United who would be hosting the Gunners at Old Trafford, a ground Arsenal had only won at once in the league since 2006, that one as well being without fans during the Covid season. Arsenal was boosted by the return of Zinchenko but had to start with their 3rd choice midfielder Sambi Lokonga for the Partey role after Elneny had followed the Ghanaian onto the treatment table. Regardless of the blow, Arsenal appeared to have made the ideal start when Saka threaded the needle and put Martinelli clean through on goal. The Brazilian finished brilliantly to give Arsenal the lead, but VAR advised the referee to have a look at a potential foul in the build-up. On review, the referee judged Ødegaard to have won the ball from Eriksen unfairly and chalked the goal off. The intervention made by Lee Mason on VAR was later judged by a Premier League review to be an incorrect one, the minimal contact not penalised in real-time by the ref was judged not to be a clear or obvious error. The review came too little and too late as far as Arsenal were concerned as they’d lost their lead and instead found themselves trailing at half-time after a good move from United culminated in a debut goal for Antony who finished past Ramsdale.
VAR’s intervention in the Arsenal goal was always likely to prove a vital one as remarkably United had not lost at Old Trafford when leading at half-time since 1984. This showed the size of Arsenal’s task going into the second half, but they continued to probe and ask questions of United and they got their equaliser on the hour mark when the ball broke to Saka in the penalty area after Ødegaard had looked to thread one through to Jesus. United dealt with that immediate threat but could only clear as far as Saka who slotted through the legs of Martinez for his first of the season. Arsenal looked to be in the ascendancy, but they were only level for 6 minutes. Overcommitting bodies forward left them without a midfield and after winning it back United was able to counter-attack with Bruno Fernandes who looked and found Rashford in behind the defence and he put United back in front. Arteta reacted immediately by looking to chase the game, giving a debut to summer recruit Fabio Vieira. The changes appeared to backfire however as Arsenal were left with even fewer defensive bodies on the field and in the 75th minute they were cut through once more, with Eriksen and Rashford both left in acres of space as United hit Arsenal once more on the counter-attack. It was a horrible goal for Arsenal to concede, it reminded of the worst years of Wenger with everyone so committed to attacking they had no thought for defending. Arsenal suffered their first defeat of the season going down 3-1.
There were some positives to take in how confidently and capably they had passed the ball around, however, United had defended their penalty area very well and counter-attacked effectively. The frustration for Arsenal was how they had helped them in that regard, by leaving key areas of the midfield devoid of players. Partey had been very badly missed, and to a lesser extent so had Elneny whose defensive intelligence would not have seen him vacate his position as often as Lokonga did. The third goal conceded was perhaps the responsibility of Arteta who had gone all out attack mode too early, given the counter-attacking success United were already enjoying.
Arsenal got the chance to put the defeat behind them 4 days later when they began their Europa League campaign. They were placed in Group A alongside PSV Eindhoven, Bodo/Glimt and FC Zurich, and would kick off against the latter away in Switzerland. Summer signings Matt Turner and Marquinhos made their competitive debuts, and Vieira would make his full debut. Arsenal did some counterattacking of their own in the 16th minute when Vieira found Nketiah who travelled down the wing before playing a great ball across the box which found Marquinhos who expertly finished the first time into the top corner. The hosts equalised on the verge of half-time however when Nketiah was judged to have committed an offence in his own penalty box. The death of the Queen being announced during the first half led to the unusual circumstance of a minute’s silence taking place before the second half. When it did kick off, Arsenal regained the lead in the 62nd minute through Nketiah who was found with a delightful ball by Marquinhos who had made a fine debut. That’s how the score remained. Arsenal would not be in Premier League action that weekend, with their home game against Everton being postponed due to the Queen’s passing. Also delayed was their home game against PSV the following week, so the team were not back in action until 10 days after the Zurich game when they travelled to Brentford.
Arsenal dominated the games opening and took a deserved lead in the 17th minute when Saliba’s header from a corner struck the inside of the post on its way over the line. Just shy of the half-hour mark and Arsenal had their second, again with a header, this time it was Gabriel Jesus who rose to meet Xhaka’s perfectly placed ball. The Gunners then got the ideal start to the second half, when Vieira, making his first start in the Premier League in place of the unavailable Ødegaard, struck a beauty out of nowhere from well outside the box for Arsenal’s September goal of the month. Arsenal was in cruise control, always looking like the more likely team to score whilst barely giving Brentford sight of their goal. In the final minutes, Ethan Nwaneri came on for his Arsenal debut, aged 15 years and 181 days he became the youngest player to ever appear in the Premier League. After the match, Brentford Manager Thomas Frank was one of the first to tip Arsenal for a title challenge saying: “I think they will do brilliantly. I think they compete for the title now.” Xhaka was the resounding winner of Arsenal player of the month picking up 83% of the votes. A once deeply unpopular player, his turnaround best exemplified the strides in the right direction Arsenal were taking.
After the international break, Arsenal returned to action in the North London Derby against hated rivals Tottenham. Arsenal went into the fixture just one point above their opponents. Spurs were content to let Arsenal have possession whilst aiming to contain them and spring counterattacks. They kept Arsenal at bay until the 20th minute when Thomas Partey shot from over 20 yards out and hit it so perfectly that Lloris couldn’t get so much as a fingertip to it, the ball flew past him into the net for Arsenal’s goal of the month. Spurs responded in the 31st minute however after a good counterattack between the front three of Kane, Son and Richarlison saw the latter presented with a chance to cross from inside the penalty area and Arsenal did not effectively deal with the situation, a loose touch from Xhaka put his side back in trouble and Gabriel was panicked into conceding a penalty. Kane stepped up and of course, scored for the 7th time from the spot against Arsenal. This sent the sides in at the break-level pegging.
Arsenal regained the upper hand early in the second half after a shot by Saka was spilt by Lloris to his centre-half Romero who, under pressure from Jesus, looked to return it to the French keeper. Lloris missed the ball, it travelled under his body and then Jesus reacted first to poach it home. Spurs hopes of drawing level for a second time were damaged when Emerson Royal was shown a straight red card in the 62nd minute for a stupid and unnecessarily bad tackle on Martinelli. Arsenal quickly punished this ill discipline getting their third 5 minutes afterwards, with Granit Xhaka rifling past Lloris. At this stage Conte retreated to avoid a hammering, he accepted defeat and took off his offensive players, bringing on defenders to ensure the score line didn’t get embarrassing and Arsenal saw out a comfortable 3-1 derby win. Arsenal next returned to Europa League action putting Bodo/Glimt to the sword with a 3-0 win, goals coming from Nketiah, Holding and Vieira, the latter after brilliant footwork in the box from substitute Jesus.
Next up for Arsenal was another tough test at home against Liverpool. With a win, Arsenal would return to the top of the Premier League. Arsenal had faced Liverpool 4 times the previous season, failing to win any, losing 3 times including twice at home. They had also failed to even score against Liverpool in their last 6 meetings with them, but they needed just 58 seconds on this day, with Saka finding Ødegaard, whose ball between Van Dijk and Alexander Arnold put in Martinelli who finished beyond Alisson. Liverpool recovered well from the nightmare start however and was the better team from that point until they got their deserved equaliser in the 34th minute through Darwin Nunez. It was Arsenal however who went into half-time with the lead when Martinelli led a brilliant counter-attack from a Liverpool set piece, finally taking out both Arnold and Henderson by cutting inside and finding an unmarked Saka who slid in to put his team back in the ascendancy.
Again Liverpool responded well, equalising for a second time early in the second half through Roberto Firmino. From that point on though Arsenal found another level, they searched feverishly for a winning goal, looking to pass Liverpool to death and calving many openings. The noise inside the Emirates had reached deafening decibels as the fans urged their team on. The golden chance came with just under 15 minutes to go when Thiago was judged to have caught the back of Jesus’s foot inside the penalty area, having been beaten to the ball by the striker. Saka stepped up and held his nerve, confidently dispatching an excellent spot kick. Arsenal held out for what was in the end a deserved win after an excellent second-half display. In a decision that had raised a few eyebrows, Tomiyasu had been drafted in for a first league start of the season to go into an unfamiliar left-back position, the move paid dividends as the Japanese international had a fine game up against Mo Salah. The result put Arsenal 14 clear of Liverpool who had endured a dreadful start to the season.
“These are broad shoulders, this is courage. A sporting moment in time. Bukayo Saka.. Such poise! such noise!” – Peter Drury as Saka beats Alisson Becker from the penalty spot.
Four days later Arsenal made it 3 wins from 3 in the Europa, with an away win in Norway on the artificial pitch of Bodo/Glimt. A sole goal from Bukayo Saka was enough after he got on the end of a one-two with Lokonga. His initial shot was blocked by a defender but the ball then deflected in after coming back off the Arsenal winger. Bodo calved out many good chances for themselves but was let down by woeful finishing, squandering chance after chance by blazing high and wide of the target. Arsenal then returned to Premier League action at Elland Road against Leeds, though 40 minutes behind schedule after a power outage just after the game had initially kicked off caused the game to need restarting once power had returned.
Again Saka was the only man to get himself on the scoresheet, his goal coming after Jesus had passed up a golden chance to open the scoring failing to hit the net from close range after Ødegaard had found him with a backheeled flick. Jesus attempted to lift the ball over the keeper, but he lifted it too high and it ended up over the crossbar. Arsenal did not let Leeds off a second time however and punished them after a sloppy cross-field pass from Leeds midfielder Rodrigo only found Saka who headed it into Ødegaard’s path. Ødegaard’s return pass then asked a lot of the winger, but his speed allowed him to reach the ball first. Saka was faced with a tight angle, but it didn’t phase him one bit and he picked out the top corner hitting it high into the roof of the Leeds net.
The second half was full of drama, first when Bamford thought he’d equalised but was instead penalised for a foul on Gabriel. The Leeds striker received a second chance though when Saliba was found guilty of a handball in the box after the referee had checked the monitor. Ramsdale guessed correctly in his dive, but in the end, he wasn’t required as Bamford’s penalty went wide of the post. Arsenal continued to suffer in the second half, struggling to cope with the Leeds onslaught and maintain their slender advantage. Through fatigue and pressure from the home side, Arsenal had lost all ability to pass the ball and could do little else but stay in their own half and try to defend. Ramsdale proved his worth to this Arsenal side with his best performance of the season to date, right when his team needed him most. It appeared as though Arsenal had got the job done when crazily they conceded a second penalty of the half in additional time. Patrick Bamford was nowhere near the ball which was safely back with Ramsdale when Gabriel was penalised for a kick out in the box on the Leeds forward. As well as a penalty, the Brazilian centre-back was also dismissed. However on a VAR review, it was clear that Bamford had fouled Gabriel first, barging him to the floor, so rightfully the decision was reversed and Gabriel’s red card was rescinded. Arsenal held on to a win they’d scarcely deserved and it proved an even bigger win later that day when City lost at Anfield meaning The Gunners stayed 4 points clear after 10 games.
The following Thursday Arsenal were back in action in the Europa League. They were originally scheduled to host Manchester City in the league that mid-week, but the Queens’ death led to the postponement of Arsenal’s fixture with PSV, and it was re-arranged to this game week. Arsenal battered their Dutch visitors, in the end mustering 25 shots to Eindhoven’s 4. As was often the case Saka and Jesus were the standout performers. The young English winger was unstoppable in his direct dribbling runs, unstoppable that is without resorting to fouling, which PSV defenders did time and time again after being skinned by Saka’s great ball control when running at speed. Jesus was similarly dangerous, doing his usual thing of fashioning chances out of nowhere with his quick thinking and somehow even quicker feet. In the end, though the deadlock was broken by Xhaka in the 70th minute when Tomiyasu found him in space 15 yards from the goal. He hit the shot down into the ground and it bobbled just at the right time to go under the keeper and past him.
Next Arsenal travelled to struggling Southampton looking to make it 9 straight wins across the Premier League and Europa. They started fast, and when Xhaka finished off White’s cross with a brilliant volley into the back of the net in the 11th minute, it looked like it would be a case of how many, as it wasn’t the first good chance Arsenal had created. For the first 20 minutes, Southampton couldn’t get out of their own half, Ødegaard cleverly found Jesus with a lifted return pass but his volley was straight at Bazunu in the Saints goal. Jesus was in again after a long ball flighted over the head of Caleta-Car putting the Brazilian clean through until the defender dragged him back using both arms. There seemed to be enough contact for 3 separate penalties in there, but unbelievably the referee Robert Jones didn’t point to the spot and nor did VAR intervene. One of the most inexplicable decisions of the season, and that’s saying something, meant that Arsenal went in at the break only a single goal to the good.
The Southampton defence must have felt encouraged from not being penalised inside the box, as the fouling continued on Jesus outside the box for much of the second half, Lyanco getting away with man-handling Arsenal’s striker time and time again, wrapping both arms around his body whenever the ball was anywhere near the Brazilian. Jones did not however ignore perceived ‘diving’ from Saka showing him a yellow card for simulation, even though there did appear to be some contact. A one-sided refereeing performance and poor finishing from Arsenal allowed the home team back into the game and they got the equalising goal with 25 minutes to go through Armstrong after a swift move cut through Arsenal’s defence. In the 78th minute, Ødegaard thought he’d put Arsenal back in front but Tierney had just carried the ball beyond the line before he was able to cut it back into his captain’s path.
The Gunners had to settle for a point and an end to their winning run, paying the price for not scoring more in the first half. As they began to tire in the second half Southampton calved out some good chances of their own, but there’s no doubt the visitors were also harmed by a dire refereeing performance. The dropped points cut Arsenal’s lead at the top down to two. Another away game followed for The North London side as next they travelled to Eindhoven. With 2 group games remaining, they needed just 1 more win to secure the top spot which would mean they progressed straight through to the final 16, without the need for a playoff game. However Arsenal’s performance was poor, PSV were the better team for 90 minutes and good value for their 2-0 win.

I have a 5 month old, EBF. I haven't pumped much at all in the past, only to comfort when painfully engorged. I think I have an oversupply, so I haven't wanted to make it worse. I need to return to work full time in August, so I'll be pumping much more frequently soon. When I have pumped, it's always been after he nursed and I'll usually get 3-4oz per a side in 3-5 minutes. Today, baby mostly slept through the night (until 5am) then just nursed on one side. I pumped 5oz on one side and 3 on the other and was still spraying on the non-nursed side, but that bottle was full. At that point I stopped the pump, switched the 3oz bottle to the other side and pumped the one side until that bottle was full, but my breasts definitely weren't empty
What do you do if you have more milk in a pumping session than will fit in the bottle? Are there larger bottles that connect to the pumps? And secondly, how do you store all the milk collected in one day at work before bringing it home?
I drive a lot for work and can be more than 2 hours from home or the office, so realistically I'll probably be pumping at least half of the time in the car, probably at least some while driving. I need to know my bottles aren't going to overflow, and need a good way to store a day's milk on the road and in the office (our office has 2 mini fridges, no freezers). I have the Spectra S2 pump that I've been using so far, and I also have a Zomee z2 that I haven't used yet but may end up being my on the road pump unless I get a car adapter for the Spectra.
What supplies do I need to be prepared for all that pumping? What solutions are there for lots of milk and/or on the go?

Steam freezes after some time. How can i fix it?
I can't even end the process, i have to kill every time
Logs:

Couldn't import apt, please install python3-apt or update steamdeps for your distribution. steam.sh[8373]: Running Steam on opensuse-tumbleweed 20230602 64-bit steam.sh[8373]: STEAM_RUNTIME is enabled automatically setup.sh[8492]: Steam runtime environment up-to-date! steam.sh[8373]: Steam client's requirements are satisfied [2023-06-04 17:10:33] Startup - updater built May 30 2023 20:40:12 [2023-06-04 17:10:33] Startup - Steam Client launched with: '/home/themystery/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam' Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8559) Looks like steam didn't shutdown cleanly, scheduling immediate update check [2023-06-04 17:10:33] Loading cached metrics from disk (/home/themystery/.local/share/Steam/package/steam_client_metrics.bin) [2023-06-04 17:10:33] Using the following download hosts for Public, Realm steamglobal [2023-06-04 17:10:33] 1. https://client-update.akamai.steamstatic.com, /, Realm 'steamglobal', weight was 1000, source = 'update_hosts_cached.vdf' [2023-06-04 17:10:33] 2. https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com, /client/, Realm 'steamglobal', weight was 1, source = 'update_hosts_cached.vdf' [2023-06-04 17:10:33] 3. http://media.steampowered.com, /client/, Realm 'steamglobal', weight was 1, source = 'baked in' Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8560) [2023-06-04 17:10:33] Checking for update on startup [2023-06-04 17:10:33] Checking for available updates... [2023-06-04 17:10:33] Downloading manifest: https://client-update.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam_client_ubuntu12 [2023-06-04 17:10:33] Manifest download: send request Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8561) [2023-06-04 17:10:33] Manifest download: waiting for download to finish [2023-06-04 17:10:33] Manifest download: finished [2023-06-04 17:10:33] Download skipped: /steam_client_ubuntu12 version 1685488080, installed version 1685488080, existing pending version 0 [2023-06-04 17:10:33] Nothing to do [2023-06-04 17:10:33] Verifying installation... [2023-06-04 17:10:33] Performing checksum verification of executable files [2023-06-04 17:10:34] Verification complete Loaded SDL version 3.0.0-1117-g727c7d4e2 XRRGetOutputInfo Workaround: initialized with override: 0 real: 0xf3841f50 XRRGetCrtcInfo Workaround: initialized with override: 0 real: 0xf38405f0 GetWin32Stats: display was not open yet, good ComputeStartupMode: found registry default startup mode: 0 steamwebhelper.sh[8567]: Runtime for steamwebhelper: defaulting to /home/themystery/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_64/steam-runtime-heavy steamwebhelper.sh[8567]: glibc >= 2.34, partially disabling sandbox until CEF supports clone3() Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8572) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8628) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8629) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8630) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8631) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8632) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8633) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8634) CAppInfoCacheReadFromDiskThread took 16 milliseconds to initialize Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8635) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8636) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8637) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8638) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8645) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8646) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8647) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8649) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8650) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8658) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8691) (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:10:34.799: g_main_context_push_thread_default: assertion 'acquired_context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:10:34.799: g_main_context_pop_thread_default: assertion 'g_queue_peek_head (stack) == context' failed Failed to init SteamVR because it isn't installed Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8696) local (potentially out of sync) copy of roaming config loaded - 380 bytes. (steam:8559): Gtk-WARNING **: 17:10:35.150: gtk_disable_setlocale() must be called before gtk_init() /usshare/themes/Breeze/gtk-2.0/widgets/entry:70: error: unexpected identifier 'direction', expected character '}' (steam:8559): Gtk-WARNING **: 17:10:35.153: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "adwaita", /usshare/themes/Breeze/gtk-2.0/widgets/styles:36: error: invalid string constant "combobox_entry", expected valid string constant Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8758) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8770) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8774) BRefreshApplicationsInLibrary 1: 0ms roaming config store loaded successfully - 380 bytes. migrating temporary roaming config store GetWin32Stats: restoring previous glx context ExecCommandLine: "'/home/themystery/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam'" System startup time: 4.32 seconds (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. (steam:8559): LIBDBUSMENU-GLIB-WARNING **: 17:10:38.741: Trying to remove a child that doesn't believe we're it's parent. BuildCompleteAppOverviewChange: 208 apps RegisterForAppOverview 1: 0ms RegisterForAppOverview 2: 0ms (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:10:44.859: g_main_context_push_thread_default: assertion 'acquired_context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:10:44.859: g_main_context_pop_thread_default: assertion 'g_queue_peek_head (stack) == context' failed Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8898) (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:10:54.877: g_main_context_push_thread_default: assertion 'acquired_context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:10:54.877: g_main_context_pop_thread_default: assertion 'g_queue_peek_head (stack) == context' failed Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(8902) (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:11:04.879: g_main_context_push_thread_default: assertion 'acquired_context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:11:04.879: g_main_context_pop_thread_default: assertion 'g_queue_peek_head (stack) == context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:11:14.909: g_main_context_push_thread_default: assertion 'acquired_context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:11:14.909: g_main_context_pop_thread_default: assertion 'g_queue_peek_head (stack) == context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:11:24.937: g_main_context_push_thread_default: assertion 'acquired_context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:11:24.937: g_main_context_pop_thread_default: assertion 'g_queue_peek_head (stack) == context' failed Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(9079) Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1685488080)/tid(9080) (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:11:34.987: g_main_context_push_thread_default: assertion 'acquired_context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:11:34.987: g_main_context_pop_thread_default: assertion 'g_queue_peek_head (stack) == context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:11:45.023: g_main_context_push_thread_default: assertion 'acquired_context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:11:45.023: g_main_context_pop_thread_default: assertion 'g_queue_peek_head (stack) == context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:11:55.037: g_main_context_push_thread_default: assertion 'acquired_context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:11:55.037: g_main_context_pop_thread_default: assertion 'g_queue_peek_head (stack) == context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:12:05.049: g_main_context_push_thread_default: assertion 'acquired_context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:12:05.049: g_main_context_pop_thread_default: assertion 'g_queue_peek_head (stack) == context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:12:15.060: g_main_context_push_thread_default: assertion 'acquired_context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:12:15.060: g_main_context_pop_thread_default: assertion 'g_queue_peek_head (stack) == context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:12:25.102: g_main_context_push_thread_default: assertion 'acquired_context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:12:25.102: g_main_context_pop_thread_default: assertion 'g_queue_peek_head (stack) == context' failed [2023-06-04 17:12:34] Background update loop checking for update. . . [2023-06-04 17:12:34] Checking for available updates... [2023-06-04 17:12:34] Downloading manifest: https://client-update.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam_client_ubuntu12 [2023-06-04 17:12:34] Manifest download: send request [2023-06-04 17:12:34] Manifest download: waiting for download to finish (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:12:35.136: g_main_context_push_thread_default: assertion 'acquired_context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:12:35.136: g_main_context_pop_thread_default: assertion 'g_queue_peek_head (stack) == context' failed [2023-06-04 17:12:35] Manifest download: finished [2023-06-04 17:12:35] Download skipped by HTTP 304 Not Modified [2023-06-04 17:12:35] Nothing to do (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:12:46.034: g_main_context_push_thread_default: assertion 'acquired_context' failed (steam:8559): GLib-CRITICAL **: 17:12:46.034: g_main_context_pop_thread_default: assertion 'g_queue_peek_head (stack) == context' failed 

My videocard is nvidia and i'm on latest tumbleweed

I checked on here but couldn't really find the answer I was looking for - What dictates spawn rates by area? I ask because I live in a semi-rural area, the biggest city in the area has a population of about 20k but is home to a university and is a major tourist town (We have the largest boat locks in North America) On a few occasions my son and I have been downtown in a heavily traveled area with a lot of foot traffic and there is next to no spawns, the area has a ton of pokestops and gyms, but the spawn rate is lower than by my house and I live several miles out of town and there are literally three houses on my road. We have a park in town that spawns so many mons they are nearly stacked on top of each other, with a few stops and one gym. I guess my question is what gives?

This is my headcanon for the events following Suzerain as the game played out in my (communist) playthrough:
Disclaimer 1: This obviously includes many spoilers from the game.
Disclaimer 2: This story is written with storytelling and lore at the forefront, not necessarily gameplay accuracy.
Disclaimer 3: This is only the first chapter (and backstory) of this headcanon story/fanfic/whatever you want to call it. I want to write more, but would like to see what people in the Suzerain community think about the writing so far and if they’d like to see more of it. :)
(Part 1 is on my page if you cannot find it elsewhere)

Chapter 1: Inauguration Day (Continuation)

Serge had always been one for praise as long as Anton had known him, but it seemed to be out of sheer admiration and trust, unlike the usual political suck-up. It was definitely appreciated praise, but somewhat uncomfortable in a way, as Anton wasn’t used to such high praise from politicians, and was a little afraid all the compliments would bloat his ego. Though he rarely vocally disagreed with Serge’s remarks, as a president shouldn’t appear doubtful of their abilities. That was one of the many rules Anton had learned to follow as a president. He didn’t like it, yet it had still become almost second nature to him by now, something that also concerned him quite a bit.
“Thank you for your trust in me Serge. It truly means a lot.” Serge smiled through the rear-view mirror once more before replying “Thank you Mr. President for setting such a great example for the people of this nation.” Anton knew it would be impossible to beat Serge in a humility contest, so he conceded with his usual reply “You are too kind, Serge.” Before long they were off, and it didn’t take them as long as they’d thought to get back to the hill of pride, as the traffic had wound down along with the day. As the car headed up the long and winding road that led to the maroon palace through capitol park Anton noticed the palace gates were open and the driveway was filled with journalists, as opposed to the politicians and oligarchs usually present at the previous inauguration events. As Serge entered the car into the driveway, the journalists made way for the car to park next to the small row of black sedans and limos that had brought the rest of the night’s dinner guests to the palace.
Serge quickly stopped the engine and exited the car to open Anton’s door. As he did so, Anton was met with the now familiar camera flashes and the sounds of journalists speaking over each other to the point of near incomprehension. “Mr. President” started a young woman in a sharp azure pantsuit, holding a microphone up to the President’s lips. “There have been a lot of concerns voiced by the opposition after you used the phrase ‘Sordish Revolution’ at your rally. Is the opposition correct that this is an indication of political violence being endorsed by the presidency?” Anton noticed the ‘Lachaven Times’ label on the woman’s microphone before replying to her question. “No. Revolution does not mean violence. Revolution means that this country has problems, and we need radical and rapid change to address those issues.”
“Mr. President, one more question. This revolution outburst, as well as your administration’s close association with communism and United Contana, has brought fear to the hearts of many business owners in Sordland. Do you plan to completely nationalise our nation’s economy, and will business owners be compensated for the loss of the fruits of their labour? Anton briefly chuckled before opening his mouth to reply. Before he could do so however, he saw a hand cover the woman’s microphone. “The President will not be answering any more questions as of now.” Ranye looked left and saw his newly appointed Vice President, Lucian, looking as stern as ever. He took his other hand on Anton’s back, leading him away from the flock of journalists, into the maroon palace.
As they moved inside, there were still a large amount of journalists, although not as many as there were outside. These journalists however, knew better than to try and approach the President, as Lucian’s glare was warning enough. “It’s good to have you here Mr. President. We’ve already set up everything in the dining room upstairs, both for the dinner itself and the televising of the event. Your wife insisted on waiting on you in your office. It would be good for the press to be able to get pictures of you two together, so I would advise you to go get her so you can welcome the dinner guests together.” Anton now noticed his Vice President was wearing a tuxedo, as were many of the male journalists and camera crew. “Knowing you, there is already a tuxedo in my office as well.” Lucian nodded. “Thank you. I’ll go get ready.”
As the President and Vice President separated, it did not take long before Anton found himself in conversation again, while on his way to his office. This time with the director of the Sordish Radio and Television Supreme Council that Anton had founded during his first administration. In fact this was Anton’s first time meeting the director of the council, as Lucian was the one who appointed him. “Mr. President, it’s an honour to meet you. Damien Ves, at your service.” The stocky and wide man grabbed Anton’s hand and shook it. “It’s a pleasure to finally be able to meet with you Mr. Ves. Lucian told me you’d be in charge of today’s broadcast.” Anton began to increase his pace, which Damien attempted to duplicate. “Yes, it's all very exciting. It will be like you’re having dinner with the entire country! This new technology is amazing!”
“Yes, truly amazing. If you’ll excuse me I have to go get ready. It was nice meeting you.” Anton entered his office and closed the door with a sigh. Before being able to look around the room, he was ambushed by a hug from his daughter Deana. “Papa! You’re finally here!” Anton looked down at his daughter, who looked tired from the eventful day. “How did you like the rally sweetheart?” asked Anton as he got down on one knee to be eye-level with Deana. “There were so many people! Mama talked to so many of them. She talked a lot about exploitation. What is exploitation Papa?”
Before Anton could think of how he was going to explain that to his daughter, Monica came up behind her and picked her up. “Alright, let your papa at least get inside properly before you start asking him harder questions than the journalists outside.” Anton followed his wife into the room as she plopped down Deana on the couch. Only then was he able to see how beautiful his wife looked in her elegant scarlet dress. The only thing he could fathom doing was kissing her, and as he did, she pulled away. “Later. Now you have to get ready. It’s nearly seven.” Before going to the bathroom in his office to change, Anton took a last look at his wife as she started doing Deana’s hair. “You look absolutely gorgeous, honey.” Monica gave her husband a warm smile and a wink back as a reply.
Anton entered the office bathroom, where a tuxedo hung from the door on a hanger. It looked old, yet well-maintained. Its white bowtie and waistcoat, coupled with a long tailcoat reminded Anton of the similar suits worn by the wealthiest students during his time at university in the 1920s. As he put on the tuxedo and started adjusting it, he found a note in the left-hand pocket on the tailcoat.
It read “Anton, as you read this, getting ready for the start of your next term, know that the people of Sordland have reaffirmed their trust in you, and it is your duty to not let them down. This suit belonged to my father, and he used it for events just like the one you’re about to go to all the time when he was president. When he fell, Sordland became cursed with two despots, who ignored the cries of the weak. I believe that you have the power to break that curse, as evident by your first term. I believe that you are the only one who might be able to stop this curse now. But only if you keep true to yourself and your ideals, don’t let the world of politics suck you in too much. Don’t forget that you are where you are to serve the people. Not the powerful, but the weak. Good luck my old student and good friend. -Deivid Wisci.”
Anton had very fond memories of his mentor Deivid Wisci, both as his professor, and as his minister of foreign affairs. The day he retired was a sad day for Sordland. Although he definitely deserved a retirement, after all the good he had done, Anton thought to himself. He put the note back in his pocket and adjusted his bowtie for the final time. Before leaving the bathroom however, he remembered to take the pocket watch he was gifted by Serge from the breast-pocket of his usual attire. He placed it in the breast-pocket of his new tailcoat, slicked back his jet black hair, and headed out of the bathroom. “Ready?” Monica and Deana were sitting on the couch patiently waiting. “Yes, let’s go.” Anton reached out his hand to escort Monica out. As she put her hand into his, he kissed her hand before the pair proceeded out of the office along with Deana.
The Rayne family made their way into the maroon palace’s dining room, where the camera crew had already started filming. Anton and his family took their place in the lounge area that decorated the backdrop for the dining table, where the Rayne cabinet slowly started to assemble to be welcomed by Anton and Monica. First was Lucian who, to nobody’s surprise, came alone. He came up to Anton and shook his hand, followed by that of Monica’s, while Deana tried to hide slightly behind her mother. Lucian took his seat in the lounge, making sure to sit as close to Anton as he could.
He was soon followed by the equally lonesome minister of defence, Iosef Lancea. Unlike nearly every man present in the maroon palace however, Iosef came in his regular military attire, as opposed to a tuxedo, or even a regular suit. Although Anton was unsure, he might’ve added a few medals to his uniform for the occasion. He saluted the President and First Lady, to which Anton replied with an adequate, but not nearly as impressive salute. He took his seat next to Lucian, and they started the obligatory small-talk that was expected of them as dinner guests.
At last came the minister of agriculture, Gus Manger, who was accompanied by his wife and son. They walked up to the President’s family, where Gus proceeded to shake Monica’s hand, while his wife greeted Anton. They then switched places, and Anton welcomed Gus and his family to the palace, and to the dinner. Gus then took his seat beside Iosef, promptly followed by his wife and son. Anton didn’t know much about Gus’ family, however his son somewhat reminded him of Franc, albeit a few years younger. The boy didn’t seem that excited to be here, understandably enough. It seemed as though Monica had noticed the same thing, as she faintly pulled on her husband’s arm, gesturing to him to lead everyone to their seats at the table.
As he was about to do just that, the doors to the eastern wing of the room swung open one more time. It was Ciara. She was wearing an off-white dress, surprisingly similar in shade to the bathrobe she’d worn earlier today, though obviously much more classy. Monica gave Anton’s hand a slight squeeze as she noticed her friend. Anton looked towards a smiling Monica, and gave her a grin back. “You managed to get her to rejoin your cabinet?” Anton smiled even wider “It was a hard task, but I think you had a lot to do with it.” Ciara walked up to Monica and shook her hand, bowing slightly as she did it. She turned to Anton and shook his hand, though not with as much vigour as with Monica. “Mr. President.” “Ms. Walda. Welcome.”
When the rest of the guests noticed Ciara, Iosef flung up out of his seat, looking positively resentful. “What is she doing here? Didn’t you resign you-” Lucian quickly got out of his seat and put his hand on Iosef’s shoulder, or at least as far as he could get to the shoulder of the colossal man. Iosef turned his head sharply and scowled at Lucian, prompting him to remove his hand and gesture to Damien, who was behind the camera, making sure our conversation was out of range for the camera to pick up on. Iosef turned to Anton “Mr. President, with all due respect, did you really invite this woman back to your cabinet after her treacherous resignation?!” Anton had noticed the tension between Iosef and Ciara the few times they’d been in the same room together, and it was clear they were good at pressing each other’s buttons, intentionally or not. Iosef must’ve been glad when she resigned. For her to come back unannounced must’ve been seen as a big middle finger to not just Iosef, but Lucian as well, as Anton hadn’t discussed it with him either. But Lucian, unlike Iosef, knew how to act like a politician, and wouldn’t risk his career for a televised outburst.
“Iosef, with all due respect, I am your superior. We need people in our cabinet, and may I remind you that this event is currently being televised.” Anton stared at Iosef in a way he’d never done before. It was actually quite satisfying for Anton to be able to speak to Iosef like that, as he had real experience on how Iosef treated his subordinates from his time in the army. Iosef mumbled something before speaking up “Of course Mr. President. I am sorry.” Anton could actually see Iosef’s eye visibly twitch as he mouthed that last part. “Good, then we’ll be seated. Follow me everyone, right this way.” President Rayne led the dinner guests towards the table, where Deana and Gus’ son were seated first, followed by Ciara, Monica and Gus’ wife, the two latter of whom were seated by their husbands respectively. After which the rest of the cabinet, along with Anton took their seats.
The camera panned to look directly at Anton, who would deliver his post-inauguration speech to the nation. “Brothers and sisters, today has been a great day, not just for myself, not just for the USP, but for our nation. You have reaffirmed your support for me as your President, as a conduit for the will of the people. In doing so you have reaffirmed your trust in our nation, our collective passion to make the lives of others better. Because that is what a nation is. A nation is a band of people who share a home, and who are passionate enough to help each other and push each other forward to greater things. It is a sentiment to collectivism and what we can accomplish when we band together and fight for each other, with compassion and solidarity. That is what we are, we are brothers and sisters. No matter if you are a sord or blud, man or woman, eight or eighty. If you live in Sordland, your neighbours are your brothers and sisters, together you hold this nation on your backs through your trust and your belief that together we can make the world a better place. United we stand, divided we fall. A Morgna wes core, vectern sis da!”
The camera panned away from Anton’s face but continued filming the dining table. Everyone seated applauded Anton’s speech. He raised his wine glass, which had already been filled prior to everyone being seated. “I’d also like to raise a toast. To Bernard Circas. We sit here, on the four year anniversary of the tragic end of his great life. His words moved millions, and continue to move millions more after his death. He inspired love, compassion and hope. He dreamed of a better Sordland, one where we were free of exploitation and united in proletarian solidarity.” There were mixed reactions across the table, but mainly looks of disagreement. Anton continued nonetheless. “Bernard was killed for his beliefs. After a long investigation the main culprits are finally behind bars, but this does not solve the deeper issue. Fascism. The scourge that kept Bernard’s dream from being realised is what killed him, and he will have died in vain if we do not take that threat seriously, and do what we can to rid this country of the fascism that wants to tear it apart. It was only Bernard who would have the words to give us the hope we need, but while he is gone, his spirit remains, and it remains to give us the willpower we need to do what we can to make sure nothing like what happened four years ago ever happens again. To Bernard, our only strength is the will to survive.”
After Anton finished he took a sip of his bitter wine and sat the glass back down, followed by everyone else. Iosef mumbled something again, but as Anton briefly looked towards Damien, it looked like the speech, and following toast, had been a hit with him and the rest of the camera crew. “Well said Mr. President '' said Lucian, before taking another sip of his wine. A moment later, the chef, a tall and lanky young man, came out followed by servers bearing plates of food. “For the first course we have prepared…” The next few hours flew by as Anton was bored senseless by the conversations, or lack thereof, between the “strictly-work-talk” Vice President, traditionalist minister of defence, radical minister of education, and anrican capitalist minister of agriculture. After hours of dull conversation and several courses, all representing a different region of Sordland, the dinner was finally over and the broadcast finished off with a speech from the first lady. Anton felt bad, being too tired to properly listen to Monica’s speech, although it seemed to have a similar effect on the guests as Anton’s speech did. As the applause following her speech died down, the broadcast was shut off, and nearly everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief, including Anton and Monica.
Anton stood up, and was followed by the rest of the table. The presidential couple bid farewell to their guests as nearly everyone left. As Anton, Monica and Deana were getting ready to go change and head home, Anton was approached by Damien who wanted to have a few words before leaving.
“It was a wonderful broadcast Mr. President!” he said with a fake enthusiasm. Damien knew the basics of political intrigue, but had yet to grasp the subtle art of lying convincingly. Anton simply replied “Thank you, Mr. Ves, you did very well yourself managing the production.'' Unlike Damien, Anton bore no attempt to show his lack of interest in the conversation, as he slowly started making his way out of the dining room area of the palace. “Thank you Mr. President, you honour me!.” he nervously paused for few seconds before continuing “Mr. President, would you please consider having a meeting with me later this week.” “Whenever you have the time!” blurted out the nervous, and now slightly sweaty, man. “I’d be glad to have a meeting with you Damien. In fact I was planning on having one with you anyway, to discuss the goals and strategies of the commission going forward.” Anton again started walking a bit faster, trying to get out of the conversations with the hippo-like man. “How does tuesday 9:30 sound?” Damien struggled to keep up with the President, making him sweat even more profusely as he panted out a reply “Wonderful! Great! Thank you Mr.Presdi..Ray..” He stopped for a second to catch his breath “Thank you Mr. President!” he shouted down the hallway as the President hurried back into his office.
“Why do such social events seem to drain me more than dull meetings about infrastructure development?” joked Anton as he walked into his office to greet his wife. “It wasn’t that bad, I had quite the interesting conversation with Ciara and Erica.” Anton looked confused for a moment before Monica elaborated. “Gus’ wife. Erica Manger.” She sat down on the couch next to a half asleep Deana. “Ah! And what did she have to say?” inquired Anton, loosening his bowtie as he said it. “She was surprisingly supportive of our participation in politics, considering she’s from Anrica, like Gus.” Anton sat next to his wife, wrapping his arm around her before answering. “Well not everyone in Anrica is exactly Curtan Leste. You know he’s been losing a lot of support in the city ever since his stunt in Benfi, interrupting your speech like that.” Monica looked out the window to the view of capitol park. “Still, even with the waning influence of the old guard, both him and Gloria Tory have become increasingly popular with the conservatives now that Soll, Graff, Hawker and the like are all in prison. They are still a real threat, now with even more concentrated support.” Anton stood up and walked over to the window, now looking at dusk settling over the park as well. “I know.” he paused for a second. “We still have a lot of work ahead of us.”
The couple stood there for a few minutes in silence, enjoying a peaceful moment together while contemplating the future. After a while, however, they decided they best head home for the day. They went into the office bathroom to get changed again. After doing so, Anton took his sleeping daughter in his arms and the three of them exited the maroon palace. They had stayed there so long that all the journalists had gotten tired of waiting for them and gone home. The courtyard of the palace was all but empty, aside from a few guards, and of course, the Rayne family’s loyal driver. Serge opened the backseat door for the family to get in the car, where they were able to relax for the long drive home in the quiet of the night.
The new Valgslandian presidential car was slowly making its way towards the presidential residence built during the Alphonso presidency. It was a modern home, inspired by the works of some Arcasian architects. While Anton certainly disagreed with Alphonso about a lot, and despised Arcasia, he had to admit it was a pretty nice home. As he sat in the car he dreamt about getting home and being able to jump into bed after such a long day, and from the looks of it, Monica was thinking about the same thing.
They were driving past a newly built secondary school, Circas Secondary, that was built as part of Anton and Ciara’s education program during the first term. Anton’s mind drifted from the architecture of his own home to the architecture of this school, and was suddenly filled with pride, being able to see the material results of his work as president. He was admiring the building’s large gymnasium when suddenly the white walls of the pristine building turned a fiery orange hue, followed by a loud “BANG!”. Before they could comprehend what had happened the car had been flipped on its head and the glass from the windows shattered. Deana immediately woke up in panic and started crying. Anton was able to get to her quickly, and shield her and Monica. They sat there together in the wreck of the car for what felt like minutes, not being able to move out of pure shock, before they heard a series of coughs followed by the voice of their driver “Anton, Monica, Deana. Are you okay?!” Anton managed to muster a response despite his distress. “I think so Serge. How about you?”
As he felt a hand grab him by the collar of his coat, Serge replied “Don’t worry about me, we need to get out of here!” Before Anton could respond he felt his collar tighten around his neck as he was slowly dragged out of the car wreck along with his wife and daughter. When they were all out of the car Anton opened his eyes to find he was lying on the pavement, looking up at Serge who was examining the family for any serious injuries. He then heard the sound of sirens in the distance, and noticed the night looked very bright. He looked to his right and saw the cause of this brightness, the school was on fire. At least what was left of the school. There was rubble everywhere, it had been blown to pieces. He looked back up at Serge, with the starry night sky behind him. Hints of flashing red and blue lights began to appear as Anton’s eyes began to shut and the night became darker. The previously clear voice of his driver became muffled, as he heard cars approaching and the sound of doors being shut. Before passing out, he felt someone lift him up and put his body onto something soft, followed by the sound of doors being shut again.
To be continued.